Growing Up With Oliver Wood
by Gwen Pennington
Summary: This is the story of a girl who grows up next to Oliver Wood and develops a friendship with him. Some time after they start school at Hogwarts, Gwen and Oliver realize they want to be more than friends.
1. Getting to Know You

-1Gwen Pennington was six years old and sitting on the floor in her empty bedroom, the charms on the ceiling and walls already fading. They had been bewitched to look like a forest because she loved being outside. At night, charmed stars covered the ceiling, watching over her sleeping form. All of her belongings had already been moved to the new house in Scotland, where her mother Mary waited. Her eyes- a mixture of green, blue and brown- were filled with bright tears. Her father's head suddenly appeared in the doorway. He saw her crying and walked over, kneeling on the floor.

"What's wrong, Gwen?" David asked, pulling Gwen into a hug and stroking her reddish-brown hair.

"I don't wanna move," she said into his chest. "Why can't we stay here? I like my room."

"Oh, honey," he sighed, lifting her up so her eyes meet his blue. "Grandma and Grandpa... have passed away." It was in the news, two wealthy New Yorkers killed by a drunk driver on their way home from the Broadway show. "We have no family here. Don't you want to be closer to your mother's family?"

"I guess." The child was still not convinced.

"Your new room will be just like this one. And you'll have someone to play with. Mommy's best friend lives next door and she has a son your age. His name is Oliver."

Her face brightened momentarily at the promise of a playmate, but she frowned again. "Boys have cooties."

This made her father laugh, and he looked deep into her eyes. "You look so much like your mother. C'mon, let's go."

He picked her up off the floor and carried her into the living room where a doll waited on the mantel. Gwen reached out for it, but her father pulled her hand away.

"Hang on a minute, that's a portkey. We'll both grab it on the count of three. One... two... three..." They both took hold of the doll and closed their eyes as the feeling of being grabbed by the belly button set in. When Gwen opened her eyes, she and her father were in the middle of the new living room, her mother only a few feet away.

"Mummy! I missed you!" Gwen leaned toward her mother, who gathered her small daughter into her arms and took her upstairs to her new bedroom. It looked exactly like her old room, charmed and everything. Gwen's mother kissed one cheek and her father kissed the other.

"Do you like it?" Mary asked.

"I love it! It's just how I remember it!" Her parents chuckled at this, since she had just left her old room. All of her belongings were already put away, so her parents left her to play with the old portkey doll.

A few hours later, after dinner, Gwen's parents put her to bed. "Good night," her mother said. "We're having a little get-together with the Wood family tomorrow, so make sure you're well rested." Each parent kissed her forehead before leaving the room. The stars appeared on the ceiling and Gwen fell asleep staring at them.

Gwen's mother woke her up the next morning, and after breakfast gave her a bath. She put her daughter in a dress and let her hair dry wavy, a shiny barrette on either side of her head. Gwen hated dresses. This one was white, knee-length, and sleeveless, with a white satin ribbon at the empire waist. Gwen scowled at her reflection, wondering how quickly she could sully the pristine garment, face twisted in disgust.

The Woods arrived at 1 o' clock: red-haired Maura, brown-haired Sean, and little Oliver. He was wearing a kilt. Gwen, being shy, held her mother's hand tightly and nearly hid behind her. Mary drew her out and bent down next to her. Maura did the same.

"Gwen, this is mommy's best friend, Maura."

"Oh, Mary, she's adorable." Maura extended her hand. "Hello, Gwen." Being polite, Gwen shook her hand and gave her a timid hello.

"And this must be Oliver. What a cutie, Maura! Gwen, come say hello," her mother beckoned.

As Gwen walked over to the brown-haired boy, Sean and David headed out back to the grill.

"Hello, Oliver," Gwen said.

"Hi, Gwen," he replied.

"Gwen, why don't you show Oliver your room? You can play with your legos," Mary suggested.

Gwen gave her mother a "boys are yucky" look before heading for the stairs to the second floor and her room. "Come on, then, Oliver," she called over her shoulder.

He followed, the mothers walking off to join their husbands, talking about how cute their children are. Gwen walked into her room, Oliver close behind, and the charmed sun on the ceiling cast a friendly light.

"I like your room," Oliver commented behind her.

"Thanks. Do you like legos?"

"Umm... what are they?" he asked.

Gwen rolled her eyes and pulled out a tub of legos. "They're building blocks." She gestured to a two-story house her dad helped her build that rested against one wall.

"Oh... cool."

She turned around to face him, shyness wearing off. "Why are you wearing a skirt?"

A hurt look crossed his face. "It's not a skirt; it's a kilt."

"Looks like a skirt to me," she retorted.

"Well... it's not."

The two played quietly for a while until Gwen's mom called up the stairs that it was time to eat. She put her legos away and the two children headed downstairs.

After lunch, Oliver's dad ran next door to get his son's toy broom, and brought one for Gwen. "A welcoming present," Sean and Maura said.

Gwen thanked them and just stared at it, not quite sure what to do. Oliver was already on his and "zooming" around the spacious backyard. Seeing this as an opportunity to dirty her dress, Gwen headed straight for a patch of dirt.

"Oh, Gwen," her mother called. "You _will_ keep that dress clean, won't you?" That was hardly a question so much as a warning.

Gwen's grimace melted into the very picture of wide-eyed innocence as she turned to face her mother. "Oh, Mummy, I would never _dream _of dirtying such a _lovely_ dress." She batted her long eyelashes, only adding to her angelic image.

Her mother raised an eyebrow in suspicion

"Precious little thing, isn't she?" her father chuckled.

"She gets that from you," his wife answered.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," he said lightly.

"Bet you can't catch me, Gwen!" Oliver called. "I'm going to be a Quidditch player."

Gwen mounted her new broom, answering his challenge, and started chasing him. The brooms didn't go very fast and only hovered a couple of feet off the ground, so she quickly caught up to him. She moved up next to him and stuck her tongue out at him. "Caught you!" They both started laughing.

Gwen and Oliver played together almost every day after that, and became best friends. He was almost like a brother to her. Almost.

It was a hot August day, and the young Gwen and Oliver, now seven, had retreated to the relative cool of the shady wooded area about two hundred yards behind their houses. A short distance within the wood, a small clearing opened up, allowing sunlight to shine down on a playhouse in its center. The two children had become more comfortable with each other, and, in the way children do, quickly developed such a close friendship that it seemed they had been friends since they came into the world. At the moment, though, they were squabbling over which game to play.

"We're playing house," Gwen insisted, stomping her foot. She held the old portkey doll by one hand, its feet dragging in the dirt.

"No way!" Oliver protested. "Boys don't play house. Aurors and Dark Wizards!"

"House!"

"Aurors and Dark Wizards!"

Gwen turned on her heel, long hair whipping out behind her, and stormed into the house, slamming the door the best she could. Ignoring her companion's shouts, she sat at the table for two and set it for tea. Humming to herself, she pretended to pour a cup of tea, and put a bib on her doll. Oliver burst into the house, stick in hand, using it as a play wand.

"Freeze, in the name of the Ministry!" he cried.

"That's not what Grandpa says," Gwen said with haughty calm.

"Then what does he say when he arrests people?"

"I don't know, but that's not it."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Fine. You're still under arrest."

"You can't arrest me if I'm not playing," Gwen argued.

"You have to play," Oliver insisted.

"I don't have to do anything you say."

"Yes you do."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yes-huh."

"Why?" she asked.

Oliver drew himself up and puffed out his chest. "Because I'm the man, and what I say goes."

Gwen sniffed loudly. "That's stupid. You're not a _man_, you're a _boy_."

"Oh yeah? Then why does my mum call me her Little Man?"

"I dunno, but that's still stupid."

"Is not."

"Is so."

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

"Is not!"

"We're not married, so you're not the boss of me," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Let's get married then," he said simply.

It was Gwen's turn to roll her eyes. "We can't get _married_."

"Why not?"

"We're too little, stupid." She rolled her eyes again for good measure. "Besides, you won't even play house with me."

He sighed heavily. "Fine, we'll play house then."

Gwen smiled to herself; she thought she had done that right. Her mother told her that the secret was to always let men think they had things their way while gently talking them around to the opposite. Maybe it wasn't exactly the way she had seen her mother do it, but Gwen got her way in the end.

"Now then, you're the daddy, I'm the mummy, and this is our baby," Gwen informed him. "I stay at home and you work at the Minstery as a --"

"It's the _Ministry_, not the _Minstery_," Oliver corrected.

"I said... Ministry," Gwen answered defensively.

"Did not."

"Did so."

"Did not!"

"Anyway," she continued loudly, "you've just come home from _work_, so go outside and come back in again."

"But I'm already inside. Why do I have to go out and come in again?" Oliver asked.

"Because that's the way it goes. You said you wanted to be married so you could be the boss, so we have to act like it. Now go outside and come back in again."

Oliver hesitated, obviously thinking this over, before rising from his chair and exiting the playhouse. He paused outside the door, thinking about what his father says and does when he comes home in the evening.

"Honey, I'm home!" he declared, pushing the door open.

"Oh, good," Gwen responded. "You're just in time for dinner, dear."

Oliver approached his "wife" and did as he had seen his father do: He bent down and kissed her on the lips. Gwen jerked back, scrubbing a hand over her mouth.

"Gross! What was _that_ for?" she exclaimed.

"We're married, remember? That's what married people do!"

"But we're not married for real! Gross!" She got up and ran out of the house.

"Hey!" Oliver shouted, following right behind her with a hand outstretched. "You're the one who wanted to play--"

His hand touched her arm, and as soon as it made contact, a white light flared around them and they knew no more.

A short time later, their fathers came out to check on them, and found the children curled up on the ground asleep.

"I thought they were past the napping age," Sean Wood said as he picked his son up off the ground.

"They must have been playing pretty hard," David Pennington answered, bending down for his daughter.

Several multi-colored lights flashed and then disappeared in the bushes nearby.

"That was... suspicious," Sean remarked.

David looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. "You don't think they have anything to do with this, do you?"

"Could be. Mischievous little blighters, faeries."

"Well, if they did anything, it won't be anything harmful. We'll just have to wait and see."

July seventeenth, a hot summer day; Gwen's birthday. She was turning eight. Over the past two years, she had gotten to know her mother's family- and Oliver- better. She had half a dozen cousins or so, but they didn't like her. That's why she was in her room crying.

"What's wrong?" asked a voice from the door. She turned to see Oliver, her best friend. She knew she could tell him anything.

"They still don't like me," Gwen sobbed. "They think I'm weird because I like Muggle toys. And Muggle movies." She loved Disney films. "They keep calling me Squib."

He gave her one of those brotherly hugs she had grown used to. "They're just jealous because it's fun to play with Muggle toys and build stuff with legos instead of using magic for everything like they do."

"Really?" she asked, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"Really. Now come on, you haven't even opened your presents or had any cake." With that he let her go and headed downstairs. Gwen followed him outside where everyone was waiting. Some of her cousins snickered when they saw her tear-stained cheeks, but she tried her best to ignore them.

Gwen received a new toy broom, more advanced than the old one; a few books on magic for children; and various magical toys. After everyone else left, Oliver and Gwen were still "flying" around the yard. He was already a better flier than she.

"I'm going to be a Quidditch player!" he yelled over his shoulder, Gwen trying to catch up.

"I know!" she answered. "You say it every time we get on our brooms!"

"Do I?" he laughed. "Well... what do you want to be then?"

Then it hit her: she had no idea. Then again, she was only eight. She was about to tell him as much when he tumbled off his broom. He had been turning and his toes more than skimmed the grass, causing him to fall. Gwen went to help him up and saw that one of his knees was scraped. She helped him back up to the house and it was as if a light bulb flicked on in her head. "I want to be a healer."

After Gwen's mother patched Oliver up, the two friends sat on the couch eating leftover cake and watching Disney movies. He ended up staying the night, like he had done a hundred times before.

Gwen's mother let them stay up late since it was her birthday, so at eleven o'clock Gwen and Oliver headed upstairs to her room where sleeping bags were waiting on the floor.

"Where do babies come from?" Oliver suddenly asked.

Gwen turned to face him, startled by the question. "Well... Muggles say a stork brings a baby to a waiting mommy and daddy..." she spluttered.

"I don't believe that. I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"Wh-what? Mine and your what?" She asked nervously.

Oliver started pulling at his pajama bottoms, and Gwen clapped a hand over her eyes and turned around. "I'm going to sleep now!" With that she hastily climbed into her sleeping bag with her back to him.

He laughed and got into his own sleeping bag. "I was only joking. Just wanted to see your reaction."

Gwen gave him an exasperated sigh. "Good night, Oliver." The stars came out and they drifted off to sleep.


	2. Off to School

-1"Gwen! Gwen, get up!" Her mother started shaking her. "Get up! It's 8 o'clock!" Gwen groaned and rolled over onto her back. She rubbed her eyes and opened them as the stars changed to the sun, which was slowly getting brighter. Finally, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "C'mon, come get some breakfast," her mother said.

She dragged herself downstairs to the kitchen where pancakes were waiting for her. Her hair was messy, but she sat at the table anyway. She began to meticulously spread soft butter all over a pancake, then poured syrup on it, and smoothed it out evenly. She placed another pancake on top of that and repeated the process. Then, Gwen grabbed a slice of toast and spread butter across it, making sure it reached the crust on all four sides. Her mother laid a few slices of turkey bacon on her plate. She ate and washed it all down with a glass of orange juice.

"Hey, Mom... what's with the big breakfast?" Gwen asked.

She was about to answer when Oliver burst through the kitchen door. "Gwen, it's 8:30! Why aren't you dressed yet?" he yelled. She gave him a blank look. "It's September first! We're going to Hogwarts today! Don't you remember packing all your stuff last night?"

Gwen suddenly remembered doing just that and jumped up from the table. "How could I have forgotten!" she screamed and ran upstairs. She never was a morning person. Sleep is good. She reached her room and grabbed some clothes, then ran to the bathroom and jumped in the shower. An hour later, she came downstairs in navy blue sneakers, dark blue jeans, and a red t-shirt. She had a small braid over either temple that met and were tied together at the back of her head. Over the years, her hair had turned to reddish golden brown and the green in her eyes became more evident.

"It's about time! It's 9:30 already!" Oliver exclaimed.

"Oliver, the train doesn't leave until 11. Calm down," Gwen told him.

"Gwen, we have to get there first! King's Cross is in London!"

She realized Sean and Maura were in the room along with her own parents and her and Oliver's trunks. She and Oliver both regretted having to leave their brooms behind since first years weren't allowed to have them. For her eleventh birthday, Gwen's parents got her first real broom, a Comet. Oliver had the same and was still a better flyer.

"We're going to Apparate to platform 9 3/4," her father said, motioning to Sean Wood, "and take your trunks with us. We've got about an hour, though."

Oliver sighed. He really was excited, and so was Gwen, but she was also really nervous. She knew just what to do. "Come on, Oliver, let's go ride our brooms," she said. He eagerly followed her outside and ran next door to get his broom. Gwen grabbed hers and jumped on. Oliver returned with a Quaffle.

"I know, I know. 'Too bad first years aren't allowed to play.'" Gwen laughed as he opened his mouth to say just that. He laughed, too.

The pair started flying around Gwen's yard and his, tossing the Quaffle back and forth as they swooped and soared. One of them may have missed it every now and then, but they quickly dove and caught it before it hit the ground.

All too soon, Gwen's mom called them in, saying it was time to go. David and Sean had just left. Maura led them over to the fireplace.

"We're traveling by floo powder. Remember to speak clearly," Mary said. "I'll go first." She grabbed a handful of powder and stepped into the fireplace. "Platform nine and three-quarters," she pronounced as she threw the powder down. In a swirl of green fire, she was gone. With one last, longing look at their brooms, Gwen and Oliver followed suit, one by one. Grates flew past their eyes until the journey ended. Dusting herself off, Gwen stood next to Oliver as they both stared in wonder at a big red and black train, the Hogwarts Express.

Gwen's mother appeared behind her. "Isn't it magnificent?" she asked quietly. Gwen nodded as her dad walked up. They started telling her about Hogwarts, but with all the noise and excitement it was hard to take it all in. Fifteen minutes later, Gwen and Oliver were saying goodbye to their parents. They started loading their trunks onto the train along with the owls they were both given for school. Gwen's was a snowy owl and Oliver had a brown owl. They found an empty compartment and sat across from each other, waving out the window at their parents, who Disapparated as the Hogwarts Express left the station.

"Wow," Gwen said. "We really are on our own now."

Oliver sat next to her and put his arm around her in a brotherly manner. "We're not entirely on our own. We still have each other."

Gwen smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, watching the scenery fly by as the Hogwarts Express sped down the tracks.

About halfway through the trip, a dark-haired boy poked his head in the door. He grinned, revealing some very nasty teeth. "You first years?" Without waiting for an answer, he sat down across from Gwen and Oliver. "I've been to a lot of compartments. I can't seem to find anywhere to sit... Name's Marcus Flint. I'm a first year, too."

"Oliver Wood."

"Gwen Pennington."

"You two an item?" he asked suddenly. He gave Gwen an odd smile, making her uncomfortable. Oliver sensed her unease- as he always knew how she felt- and before Gwen could answer truthfully that they were not, Oliver's arm around Gwen's shoulders pulled her closer.

"Yes, actually," he lied, not looking at Gwen.

Flint stopped smiling. "Oh... So, what house do you think you'll be in?"

"Well... my mom was in Gryffindor. My dad went to school in the States; I lived there till I was 6," Gwen answered, feeling safe with Oliver's arm around her.

"Fascinating, I thought your accent was different," Flint said, that odd smile creeping over his lips again. As a result of living in America until she was six and Scotland the past five years, Gwen had a sort of soft Scottish accent.

"My parents were both in Gryffindor," Oliver chimed in with his strong Scottish tongue, getting the conversation back on track. Gwen squeezed his hand in thanks. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was definitely something she did not like about Marcus Flint.

He threw Oliver an annoyed look. "My family's all been in Slytherin; I'm pretty sure I will be, too." There it was; that was the something. Gwen's parents told her about Slytherin House. It had a reputation for turning out evil witches and wizards. Neither Gwen nor

Oliver quite knew how to react.

"Oh," they both responded lamely.

The three of them sat there in silence for a while, and Gwen ended up falling asleep on Oliver's shoulder. No big deal, it had happened before.

Gwen woke up to see that Flint was gone. Oliver was asleep too, his head resting on hers. She looked at her watch and wondered how much longer it would take to get to Hogwarts. She didn't think she had moved much, but Oliver woke up. "Where's that Flint kid?" Gwen asked.

"Wha? Oh, he left a while ago." He looked at his own watch. "We might as well go change."

"Okay..." Gwen grabbed her uniform out of her trunk and headed to the changing rooms. When she returned, Oliver was already done and in his seat. He saw her skirt and snickered; he knew she hated wearing skirts and dresses. She gave him her death glare.

"You have to wear that every day," he laughed, ignoring the evil look. Gwen angrily closed her robes, but it only felt like she was wearing a dress. She sighed and started laughing.

A short while later, the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station and students started piling out. A voice told them that their luggage would be taken care of, so they left it.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! C'mon, follow me!" Gwen looked up to see the tall, dark shape of a man towering above the heads of the students. Oliver took her hand and led her through the crowd toward the voice. "Mind yer step, now! Fir's years follow me!"

They continued to follow the voice and his lantern down a steep, narrow path. The group walked for what seemed like forever in the dark, following the gruff voice, until they found themselves on the edge of a large lake. "There's Hogwarts."

All of the first years looked up and across the lake to see a massive castle. It had many turrets and towers. Gwen suddenly noticed there were boats in the water. "No more'n four to a boat," the huge man announced.

Gwen and Oliver climbed nervously into a boat and sat next to each other. A red-haired boy with glasses climbed in behind them. They introduced themselves.

"Percy Weasley. Pleasure to meet you." He seemed to be a little stiff-backed. Before they knew it, their boat was steering into a sort of cave, or underground harbor rather.

Everyone climbed out of the boats, and the man led them through a passageway and out onto smooth grass in the shadow of the castle. Everyone followed him up the steps to huge, oak doors and he knocked three times. The door swung open and Gwen saw a tall, black-haired witch.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," the gruff man said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

By the time the sorting was over, Gwen, Oliver, and Percy were all in Gryffindor. After a big, delicious dinner, all the students headed to their common rooms. Gryffindor was on the seventh floor, behind the portrait of a woman in a pink dress, The Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked imperiously.

A prefect stepped forward. "Flibbertigibbet." The students entered through the portrait hole, and found themselves in a cozy room containing a few study tables and plenty of over-stuffed leather couches and armchairs. A roaring fire was going in the fireplace. The room was decorated in scarlet and gold, Gryffindor's house colors.

A lot of people headed up to their dorms, but it was only nine o'clock and there were no classes the next day, so Gwen and Oliver hung out by the fireplace in separate chairs.

"Thanks for... on the train, with Flint," Gwen said quietly.

Oliver looked up at her. "You mean when I said I was your boyfriend?" He grinned. "No problem. I could tell he was making you uncomfortable. What's a best guy friend for?"

Gwen flashed him a wide smile and hugged him. "Good night, Oliver."

He stood up. "Good night, Gwen." With that, they headed up to their dorms.


	3. The Boy Who Lived

It was August, and Gwen had turned 15 a month ago. There were two weeks before school started. Her room had changed a bit in the past four years. There were two bookcases: one containing school books, other magic books, and books on healing; the other was packed with Muggle fantasy novels. She had a stereo on top of her dresser and a CD tower next to it that housed her large CD collection; she favored Muggle rock music, mostly American bands. There was a television in one corner, sitting on a small entertainment center that held her movies. Her walls had been charmed to reflect her teenage emotions; just then it was a little rainy in her forest.

She had been to see her cousins again, and she didn't get along with them any better than she did nine years ago. They disapproved of her Muggle obsession, ignoring the fact that she was a brilliant witch. Gwen had a serious interest in healing and had done lots of reading on the subject. She did well in Transfiguration, Herbology, and especially Potions, despite Professor Snape's apparent dislike for Gryffindors and generally nasty disposition. In fact, he never had anything to criticize about her work and therefore avoided speaking to her altogether unless absolutely necessary. Gwen did well in most subjects, except Divination which she dropped the year before.

There was a knock on her bedroom door. She turned to see none other than Oliver, her best friend in the entire world. He didn't need the rainy walls to tell she was upset, and he knew she had just been at her cousin's house.

"Not them again, Gwen," he said, frowning. Gwen sighed and sat on her bed. "I don't know why you let them get to you. Because of this?" He gestured to the stereo and television as he walked toward her. "Ah, come on. You've got skills they can't compare with." She looked up into his smiling face and knew it was true; the rain subsided but it was still gray. Oliver sat down next to Gwen and hugged her. "That's better. The pool my parents just put in is finally finished. Why don't you come for a swim?" he suggested.

Gwen smiled and her room was sunny again; he could always cheer her up. "All right," she agreed. "Meet you down there in ten."

Oliver smiled back and left, closing the door behind him. Gwen changed into her swimsuit, which complimented her lean, fairly well-developed body, and slipped on some terry cloth shorts. She brushed out her golden brown hair, which had the slightest hint of red in it, grabbed a towel, and headed next door to the Wood's backyard.

Oliver had already changed and was waiting in the pool, wearing red swimming trunks. For the first time, Gwen noticed his hard, muscular chest, abs and strong arms. Oh, what wonders those years of Quidditch had done to his body. His brown hair was wet and messy. He looked... _Wait, was I just checking him out? Oliver, my best friend who's practically been a brother to me? No way, I couldn't have been..._

Gwen shook off the feeling and tossed her towel on a lounge chair. For a second, while she was removing her shorts, she thought _he_ was checking _her_ out. She looked down at her feet as she slipped into the pool. _Man, is this water cold_. Oliver's eyes went a little wide because he noticed the effect the water's temperature had on her.

"Water's cold," Gwen said to break the silence.

He almost seemed startled by her voice. "Yeah... it'll be fine after a few minutes..." he responded, looking straight into her eyes.

The awkward moment passed. Gwen had never had an awkward moment with Oliver, not since they were eight and he offered to "show her his." But he was joking then... After swimming a few laps, they decided to play one-on-one volleyball in the pool. Muggle Studies was one of Gwen's favorite classes and she taught Oliver how to play. They just hit the ball back and forth across the net, diving to keep it out of the water.

"I think this is Gryffindor's year for the Quidditch Cup," Oliver said.

"Oliver Wood, do you think of nothing but Quidditch?" Gwen asked, laughing. "It used to be only when you got on a broom or looked at a broom, but since you made the team, it's all you talk about it. Especially since you made captain!"

"So what if I'm dedicated?" he responded in a mock hurt tone. "Those Weasley twins have proved to be excellent beaters."

"But Charley's gone; you need a new seeker."

This seemed to shut him up, at least for a minute.

"Well... I'm sure we'll find a great one at tryouts."

"Whatever you say, Oliver. I think it's time for dinner."

They had been in the pool for a couple of hours, and it was about five o' clock. Gwen got out and reached for her towel, but couldn't help noticing the water running down Oliver's body. His muscles were well toned and not too big; she didn't like the body-builder type. She didn't realize that she was frozen in the act of picking up her towel.

"Gwen? Are you all right?" Oliver asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

She snapped out of her trance and looked up into his gorgeous, chocolate brown eyes.

"What? Yeah, I just... zoned out for a minute. I, uh, suddenly remembered I have some homework to finish." She quickly dried off and threw on her shorts, and walked away as quickly as possible.

Oliver stared after her, watching the way her hips moved as she walked. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes before heading to his own room. "Homework?" he muttered.

Up in her room, Gwen decided to write to her boyfriend Michael Havelock, a Gryffindor in her year, and tell him how much she missed him. She couldn't wait to see him on the train. She wrote while trying to rid herself of the odd feeling in her stomach.

A week after the pool incident, Gwen headed to Diagon Alley for some last minute shopping. She had written her boyfriend Michael and he was going to meet her there. Oliver told her last night that his girlfriend Katie Bell would be there, too. Katie was also on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Whatever Gwen was feeling for Oliver last week was gone and they were back to being best friends. She figured that she was just missing Michael, Oliver was the closest guy, and that was it. Nothing to worry about. _Right?_

Having to wear a skirt every day at school made Gwen more comfortable in them, so after her shower she slipped on a long white one with a tank top and flip flops.

Gwen and Oliver traveled by floo powder since they had to go all the way to London to meet Michael and Katie at Florean Fortescue's for ice cream. The four friends chatted happily about school and the summer break while eating. Gwen couldn't believe this would be her fifth year. She had received an owl from Percy Weasley announcing his appointment as Gryffindor Prefect. The two of them dated third year, but things just didn't work out like that. He was always too worried about schoolwork and didn't spend much time with Gwen. They broke up after a couple of months, but remained friends. Things were much better that way. Gwen told the group that Percy was prefect and none of them were surprised.

"He was always strict about following rules," Oliver said.

"Gwen, didn't you date him?" Katie asked. Michael looked shocked.

"Yeah, but he just wasn't my type. He's a pretty good friend though," Gwen answered.

The friends walked around together for a bit, stopping in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, where a bunch of kids were staring at a broom in the window.

"Oliver, you've got the Nimbus 2000 at home, you can gawk at it there," Gwen teased.

"You know, Gwen, I don't know why you never tried out for the Quidditch team," Michael said, squeezing her hand.

"Because I'm not that skilled and I don't have Oliver's dedication. I don't know how Katie can listen to him drone on at practice and still want to date him," Gwen laughed.

Katie seemed offended, but Oliver knew that Gwen was joking. He kissed her cheek and told her not to worry about it. "I don't need anything, so I guess we can move on," he said.

Gwen had already gotten her books and robes and so had everyone else, but she needed some quills and ink. Gwen bought them and then Katie remembered that she needed broom polish. She and Oliver headed back to Quality Quidditch Supplies.

"Oh, I need owl treats for Pegasus," Gwen said suddenly.

Michael laced his fingers with hers and led her through the crowd to Eeylops Owl Emporium. Clutching the bag of owl treats in one hand and Michael's hand in the other, Gwen strolled along and then stopped to sit on a bench. He leaned forward and kissed Gwen softly on the lips, brushing her hair behind her ear. She put one hand on the back of his neck and returned the kiss. This continued for a few minutes until she felt his tongue running along her bottom lip. She was about to part her lips when she heard a loud cough.

Gwen turned her head, leaving her hand on Michael's neck and her forehead resting on his. Who else would it be but Katie and Oliver? Oliver was the one who coughed and was looking a little pink. Katie stifled a laugh.

"We've been looking all over for you," she giggled, "but I guess you didn't want to be found."

"We, um, better head home," Oliver said awkwardly, but only Gwen noticed.

She kissed Michael on the lips again. "I'll see you on the train next week."

Everyone headed home and Gwen started packing her trunk already. Books, cauldron, potion ingredients... all but her wand and robes. When she finished, she laid back on her bed staring at the ceiling.

Gwen rolled over onto her back and slowly opened her eyes. She found herself staring into two chocolate brown orbs. Being still sleepy and her brain not yet fully functioning, she sat bolt upright and banged heads with the person leaning over her, causing her to fall back down.

"Merlin, Oliver, what the hell are you doing?" Gwen yelled, rubbing her forehead.

"Waking you up. Didn't think it'd hurt this much," he said, massaging his own skull.

"Waking me up? By scaring me half to death?"

"Yeah, well, it's more fun that way. Now get out of bed and get some breakfast. It's September first, you know."

Still grumbling about the manner in which he chose to wake her, Gwen followed him downstairs for the traditional back to school breakfast: pancakes, turkey bacon, and orange juice. Then it was back upstairs for a shower. Gwen threw on dark blue, slightly loose, flare leg jeans and a band tee, socks with monkeys on them, and navy blue suede sneakers. Slipping her wand into a special deep pocket of her jeans, Gwen tossed her uniform and robes into her trunk and dragged it downstairs. They got to the station at 10:45, said goodbye to their parents, and boarded the Hogwarts Express. Gwen and Oliver started searching compartments for Katie and Michael.

"They should be here by now," Gwen said. Suddenly Michael's blond head popped out of a doorway and waved at her. "Here they are, Oliver." She grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the compartment. She hugged Michael and kissed his cheek before sitting by the window, pulling him down next to her. Katie greeted Oliver in a similar fashion and they sat across from the other couple.

They had just seen each other last week, so they were all caught up on each other's summer. "Hey, Katie, I've worked out some new Quidditch tactics." Oliver grinned as Katie groaned. "They won't be completely finished until I meet our new seeker. Gwen, you should try out," he teased.

Gwen stuck her tongue out at him. "You know I don't have the attention span to fly around looking for a little golden ball." They continued on like this for about an hour, until the compartment door slid open. It was the Weasley twins.

"Fred! George! How are my beaters? Had a good summer I hope?" Oliver asked.

They seemed very anxious. "Yeah, great-"

"-but-"

"-guess who's on the train-"

"-just guess-"

"Umm..." Oliver began.

"Harry Potter!" they exclaimed together. "Our brother Ron's in his compartment.

Fred was interrupted by a kindly witch knocking on the door. "Anything off the trolley dears?" she inquired. Oliver got some chocolate frogs, Gwen bought a couple of licorice wands, and everyone else bought cauldron cakes, pumpkin pasties, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. The last Gwen tried to avoid after eating a vomit-flavored one when she was seven and promptly doing just that.

When they finished their snacks, the six of them played Exploding Snap for a while. The compartment door slid open again and a bushy-haired girl stuck her head in, already in her school uniform.

"Have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," she said haughtily in a British accent.

"Nope, sorry," Gwen replied. The girl obviously disapproved of the noise because she sniffed loudly before leaving. "What's her problem?"

"Who cares?" asked George.

"Let's get back to the game," said Fred.

Eventually it was time to go change so Fred and George returned to their compartment and the rest of the group headed off to the changing rooms.

"You know that robe hides your gorgeous legs," Michael said to Gwen upon her return. She blushed; she did in fact have long, slim legs. She sat in his lap and he started rubbing her calf. Gwen heard a cough and turned to see Oliver, so she slipped out of Michael's lap. Michael didn't seem happy about that.

_Why does Oliver keep interrupting?_ Gwen thought to herself, but she wasn't exactly angry.

"There you are Oliver. Why didn't you wait?" It was Katie who spoke.

"Oh, I, uh, thought you might have been down here already," he mumbled.

She eyed him suspiciously, put her clothes away, and sat. It was getting steadily darker as the train approached its destination. Before Gwen knew it, the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station and the four of them were fighting their way through the crowds to get to the carriages. Upon arrival at Hogwarts, everyone filed into the Great Hall to sit at the house tables, waiting for the first years. Gwen and Michael sat together across from Oliver and Katie.

Professor McGonagall came in from the Entrance Hall leading a long line of first years. At first everyone went quiet, but then murmurs broke out among the crowd.

"Did you see him?"

"Harry Potter!"

"The boy who lived!"

Soon everyone, including Gwen, was craning his or her neck to get a good look at a scrawny bespectacled boy with black hair. The sorting ceremony continued and the children were divided among the four houses. The bushy-haired girl from the train joined the Gryffindor table, as well as Harry Potter. "We got Potter!" Fred and George yelled, standing and pointing to him. Last was a red-haired boy Gwen immediately recognized as a Weasley. He also joined her table and sat with Harry. Dinner passed with much whispers and glances toward the Gryffindor table.


	4. Quidditch and Hogsmeade

-1A few weeks into term, Gwen was sitting in the common room working on a star chart for Professor Sinistra's astronomy class. She heard the portrait swing open and a very excited Oliver climbed in with his broom. It was nine o'clock and most of the students were in their dorms, but Oliver was flying as late as possible, as usual. He spotted his friend at a study table in the corner near an open window and walked over. "Gwen!" He pulled her up into a hug; nothing unusual for his current mood. "Harry Potter's the new Gryffindor Seeker! He's really good. I'm sure we've got a fair shot at the Cup this year!" Then he did something that was indeed completely unexpected: He kissed her. Not on the cheek like he had done on occasion, but on the lips. Gwen almost closed her eyes and kissed him back, but instead she quickly pulled away. He seemed to realize what just happened because he started stammering through an apology.

"I- should- gotobed," Gwen mumbled, and began stuffing her work into her bag. She stumbled up the stairs, nearly tripping three times. She accidentally entered a dorm shared by three younger girls: Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell. The three Chasers on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, one of which was Oliver's girlfriend.

Gwen had gotten to know the three of them over the past couple of years and they were very close friends. She was delighted when Katie and Oliver got together at the end of last year. But just a few minutes ago, Oliver kissed her and she liked it. He was her best friend. She had a boyfriend and he had a girlfriend. It was a good thing Katie and Michael had gone to bed early...

Gwen closed the door louder than she meant to, and a voice called out in the darkness, muffled by curtains. "Gwen, is that you? Is something wrong?" Katie. The last person she wanted to talk to right then.

"I'm fine. Just the twins messing around. Go back to sleep." Quickly slipping out of the room, she dashed up another two flights of stairs. Gwen reasoned that subconscious guilt had driven her into that room. She sat her stuff down and quickly got changed before climbing into bed. She tossed and turned for a few hours, thinking about what happened down in the common room.

The next week was really awkward. Gwen and Oliver avoided each other; they studied at opposite ends of the library or common room, sat as far away as possible in classes and during meals. Michael liked that Gwen was staying away from Oliver because she was spending more time with him. Luckily Oliver had Quidditch practice most nights so she didn't see him much.

A couple of weeks later, things started slowly returning to normal. Neither Gwen nor Oliver mentioned or even hinted at what happened that night. She pushed it to the back of her mind with other things that were too weird or painful to think about. By then, she and Michael had developed regular make out sessions in the common room before bed. When Oliver came in from practice, he went straight up to his dorm without saying anything or even looking at them. He didn't seem to be spending as much time with Katie anymore either. Something was definitely up.

By the third week of October, everything was normal between Gwen and Oliver again. Well, almost. They were buddies again, but something was different about him. He didn't hug her or touch her at all anymore, like he was afraid to do so. And sometimes Gwen felt weird around him, kind of like how she felt around Michael before they started dating. Nervous. Like she wanted to be around him, but then she'd get embarrassed. She started... "noticing" him more. How cute his messy hair was when he got off his broom, or when it was wet. The way he laughed. The twinkle in his eyes when he smiled. Why did she feel like this? Maybe she wanted to be more than just friends with Oliver...

The day was Halloween and classes ended a little early. Gwen was reluctant to leave Charms, where they were reviewing Banishing and Summoning Charms. Making pillows fly across the room was fun. She kept sending them toward Oliver and laughing. She headed back to Gryffindor tower to drop off her bag. When she came back down, she found Michael sitting on a couch and joined him.

"Hey, love," he greeted her, sliding a letter into his robes.

"What's that?" Gwen asked.

"It's nothing..." he said sadly. She decided not to press the matter as Katie and Oliver walked over.

"Halloween! Aren't you excited?" Katie squealed. "I bet the decorations will be better than last year."

"Too bad they don't do a costume ball. That would be so much fun," Gwen said.

"It'd be awesome!" Katie agreed heartily.

The four friends whiled away the time before the feast by playing wizard chess. Well, Gwen and Katie watched as Michael and Oliver played. The competition seemed a little fiercer than usual...

Finally the time came to head down to the Great Hall. Gwen entered to see carved pumpkins on the tables, floating candles, and live bats flying around. They swooped down over the tables, making the lights in the pumpkins flicker. Naturally, she sat next to Michael across from Oliver and Katie, talking, laughing, but mostly eating until Michael grabbed her arm.

"Gwen, I need to tell you something..."

"What is it Michael?" she asked gently, concern showing on her face.

"The letter from my parents..." he began, and she patiently, worriedly waited for him to continue. "I... have to leave at the end of the semester. We're moving to America and I'll be finishing school there," he ended in a rush.

Before Gwen could react to the news, Professor Quirrel burst into the Great Hall and ran to Professor Dumbledore. "Troll- in the dungeon- thought you ought to know," he gasped, then fainted.

It was utter pandemonium, people screaming and yelling, and Dumbledore had to let off several firecrackers to quiet the crowd. He ordered the prefects to lead their Houses to their dormitories, and the first years stuck close behind Percy. In the bustle, Gwen soon became separated from her friends. She started looking around for the three of them to no avail when she felt someone grab her hand. At first she thought it was Michael, but then... she knew that hand... it was sort of rough, very strong...

She turned her head to see Oliver. She was worried for a while, but since he was there she knew that she was safe. He held her hand all the way to Gryffindor tower where they found Michael waiting. Oliver quickly- yet reluctantly- dropped Gwen's hand, and Michael saw nothing.

"Gwen!" he exclaimed, rushing over. "I was worried when we got separated... and what I said... Oh, Oliver, Katie's waiting for you inside." Oliver nodded curtly at the obvious dismissal and climbed into the portrait hole. "I'll understand if you want to... break up... you know..." he continued slowly.

Gwen hugged him and kissed his cheek. "No; not now anyway. I'll stay with you..." This cheered him up quite a bit, and they went inside. Michael gave Oliver and Katie the news. They expressed their regrets, but Gwen could tell Oliver wasn't being entirely sincere.  
The twins came down from their dorm, and they were informed of the situation.

"We'll help you go out with a bang," Fred said, winking.

"I'd like that," Michael replied, an odd glint in his eyes.

October turned to November, bringing with it the start of the Quidditch season. Oliver had been training the team even harder in preparation for the first match: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Not everyone knew that Harry Potter was playing Seeker, but those that did were anxious to see him play. Oliver and his team seemed quite confident of his skills, sure they would win the Quidditch Cup that year.

When time for the match rolled around, the whole school flocked out to the stadium, and Gwen pulled Michael into the front row.

"I don't see why we had to come to the match. I would have rather stayed in the common room with you," Michael said, snaking an arm around her waist.

"I never miss any of Oliver's games," Gwen said absent-mindedly, scanning the field below to see if the team had left the rocker room. She adjusted her Gryffindor scarf.

"What's your deal with him?"

"'Deal'?" She whipped her head around to look at Michael. "There's no 'deal'," she snapped. "We've been friends since we were six."

He removed his hand from her waist and shifted to lean to the other side. "Whatever you say, love."

"If you're going to be an ass, don't call me 'love'," she said coldly.

Before he could reply, Lee Jordan announced the arrival of the team. Gwen stood and cheered loudly as seven figures in scarlet marched onto the field. She spotted the tallest one with brown hair and smiled even wider. They continued walking to meet seven figures in green: Slytherin. The game began. Half the time she watched Harry and his Seeking skills, but the other half she had her eye on the Keeper. All too soon the game was over, Gryffindor claiming victory. In her excitement, she forgot that she was mad at Michael and reached over to kiss him. Then she pulled him from his seat and dragged him out onto the field to meet the team before they went into the locker room.

Gwen lost Michael in the throng again, fighting her way to the team. She stumbled, but before she fell she felt someone in front of her grab her arms. She brought her eyes up to meet a chocolate brown pair. Oliver. He stood her up, still holding her arms, and the two just stared at each other. They seemed lost in one another's eyes for several moments until he shook his head vigorously and let her go. Gwen heard Michael calling her name and turned to see where he was, but when she looked back, Oliver was gone.

The first weekend of December meant a Hogsmeade visit and Christmas shopping. Gwen also realized there were only two weeks left until Michael left. She got Fred and George a bunch of stuff from Zonko's, a couple of cute sweaters for Katie, and Oliver would receive a broom servicing kit and a ton of chocolate from Honeyduke's. She didn't buy anything for Michael, but made him a scrapbook of his time at Hogwarts, and especially their last year together. The six met up at The Three Broomsticks when they finished their shopping, where they grabbed a table in the corner to enjoy their Butterbeer. Going around the table, the seating arrangement started with Gwen, then Michael, Katie, Oliver, Fred, and George, so she was between Michael and George and Oliver was across from her.

About halfway through her Butterbeer, Gwen started to feel someone's foot rubbing her own. At first, she thought it might be accidental, but the rubbing continued. She didn't want to just duck under the table and she didn't have anything to drop to steal a look. Fine then. She would just sit there trying to figure it out. She began to look surreptitiously around the table. She thought she could tell which direction the foot was coming from, but everyone looked completely normal. It wasn't directly next to her, so that excluded Michael and George. That left Oliver and Fred. She thought- and hoped- that it was Oliver. She looked around the table again. Nope, nothing. There was nothing out of the ordinary about anybody. Everyone chatted happily until Michael noticed Gwen's silence.

"Are you all right, Gwen?" he asked, putting his hand on her leg.

She gave him a puzzled look for a moment then shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine..."

Oliver coughed.


	5. Confrontations

It was the last day of term and Gwen was absolutely dreading the evening because it was Michael's last; he would be leaving for America in the morning. She felt sad to see him go, but a small voice at the back of her head kept whispering about Oliver. The usual four- Katie, Oliver, Michael, and Gwen- sat together at dinner, having finished a particularly nasty Potions lesson with Snape. A somber air hung over the group, and Gwen was not at all enjoying the feast. Michael, who sat on her right, rubbed her thigh under the table. Each stroke got a little higher, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

The agonizingly painful meal finally ended, and Gwen trudged back up to the Gryffindor common room. She had wrapped his photo album and gave it to him, but told him he couldn't open it until Christmas morning.

"Hang on a minute," he said, and rushed up to his dorm. He returned with a smallish box wrapped in silver paper. "Not until Christmas morning," he said, winking.

By the light of the fire, the four discussed their past years together at Hogwarts as the common room slowly emptied. At 11 o' clock, they were the only four in the room. Katie and Oliver headed to bed to leave Michael and Gwen alone.

With their backs to the stairs, they sat in silence for a moment, staring at the fire. He held her hand and she couldn't think of anything to say.

"I'm going to miss you a lot," Michael admitted quietly.

"I'm going to miss you, too." Gwen turned sideways on the couch to face him and kiss his cheek.

He also turned, and kissed her lips. One last make-out session couldn't hurt, right? She gave in to his kisses and put her arms around his neck. There was something different, but she couldn't put her finger on what. He started to gently push her back onto the couch. Gwen was not sure about this, but went with it. He was practically on top of her then, but still only kissing, his hands on her sides.

Gwen felt him lift up a little, and one of his hands slid down to her leg, then back up-- under her skirt. She didn't like this, and his kisses were getting more forceful. His hand moved to her inner thigh, nearly at her crotch. She suddenly remembered what he said Halloween, something about going out with a bang. The full meaning of this hit her like a sack of bricks, and she tried to push him off.

"I don't want to do this," Gwen gasped, pulling her lips from his.

"Shut up, Gwen. I promise you'll enjoy it; I know I will." He kissed her hard, and she couldn't help but moan as his groping hand rubbed her crotch. She felt him smile against her lips, but she tried to push him off again to no avail. He pressed his groin against her and she could feel his erection. His fingers slowly crept up and started pulling back her underwear, but finally she managed to push him off.

"Impedimenta!" Gwen screamed. Luckily, she still had her wand with her, and the sense to use it.

Unsure of what else to do, she ran up the boys' stairs to Oliver's dorm. She rushed to the bed surrounded by the most Quidditch posters and was just about to pull back the curtains when she heard a female voice.

"I'll make you forget her." Katie. What was she doing in Oliver's bed? Gwen didn't stick around to find out. Horrified, she fled the room, just barely catching a Scottish, "I don't want to forget her."

To her dismay, Gwen found Michael halfway up the stairs; the jinx only slowed him down.

"Immobulus!" she shouted before continuing her way up. Not entirely confident -- and somewhat out of breath -- she stopped outside a door marked THIRD YEARS. Going by the names on the trunks, she found Fred and George. They heard her shouting and were already half awake. They jumped out of bed to see what was wrong.

"Michael -- common room -- nearly—rape --" she panted out. Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and they led her down the stairs. They found a bewildered Oliver staring at a frozen Michael, and a disgruntled Katie.

"Gwen! Michael-- what happened?" He grabbed her arms firmly but gently, concern furrowing his brow as she began to sob and got the main points of the story across. He stared at Michael, shocked, and walked Gwen down to the common room. Fred and George undid the curse and dragged a startled Michael behind them. The twins start throwing various hexes and curses at Michael for what he did. Not a pretty sight.

Meanwhile, Oliver sat on one of the other couches, pulling Gwen into his lap and draping a blanket over the two of them.

"It was horrible," Gwen cried.

"I know, I know," he said soothingly. He stroked her hair and made shushing noises until she fell asleep.

Not knowing what to do, Katie retreated to her own dorm.

Gwen woke up early the next morning unsure of where she was. She definitely felt warm. She opened her eyes to find herself facing darkness. Slowly, carefully, she lifted her head. That was Oliver's chest her face was buried in! Somehow, they ended up lying on the couch and his arms were wrapped protectively around her waist. Gwen looked into his face; he looked even cuter in his sleep, if possible. His chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm, and a small smile curved his lips. She didn't want to wake him, so she lay her head back down and burrowed into his chest.

"Good morning." Gwen could feel the low rumble as he spoke. Without moving, she answered him.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I was, until you started moving." Gwen began to apologize and he laughed softly, hugging her more tightly. "Don't worry about it."

"What happened to...?" Gwen didn't even want to say his name.

"Percy took him down to the hospital wing after you fell asleep. But not until after Fred and George were done with him. Too bad you couldn't see the poor bastard. Tentacles and boils..." he laughed again. Gwen loved that sound.

"Well... I think I'm quite safe now. Thank you." She realized she was still in that very comfy position and it suddenly felt awkward.

"What? Oh... right." He slowly released Gwen and she sat up, putting her feet on the floor. She stared at the couch she and Michael were on the night before, not even noticing Oliver sitting up behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Gwen? Are you sure you're all right?"

She looked down at the floor and closed her eyes, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Gwen got up and walked to her dorm, making sure everything was packed. Katie was sitting on her bed when she walked in. If looks could kill, Gwen would be six feet under.

"What do you think you're doing, Pennington?" Yup, she was pissed. She even called Gwen by her last name.

"What are you talking about, Katie?" Gwen's voice was calm and even, but her cheeks felt hot.

"I know what you're doing! You're trying to steal Oliver from me!" Katie stood, her face flushed with anger.

"I am not! Michael attacked me and I went to my best friend for help. What would you do?" This seemed to shut her up. Her expression softened, as well as her voice.

"I'm sorry... It must have been terrifying for you..."

"It was... but I'd rather not talk about it." Katie left the room and Gwen finished packing. She showered quickly and changed into flared jeans and a Happy Bunny tee. When she returned to the common room, Oliver was waiting but Katie was nowhere to be seen. She gave him a puzzled look, but he only smiled in return.

After breakfast, they caught a carriage to Hogsmeade Station. Gwen and Oliver got a compartment to themselves because Fred and George were staying at Hogwarts and Katie was still nowhere to be found. Gwen and Oliver sat across from each other by the window.

"Where's Katie?" Gwen asked, looking at him curiously.

"Oh... I don't think she wants to see me right now," he said awkwardly.

"What? I talked to her this morning-"

"We broke up," he interrupted, "while you were upstairs. I think she was a bit jealous of you."

"Why? I told her I was scared so I just went to my best friend to make me feel better."

"Is that all?" he asked sadly. Gwen looked at him, a little confused. He continued, "I'm just your best friend? That's all you want?" Then she understood. He liked her just as much as she liked him. She got up and sat next to him.

"Oliver, you have always been my best friend, and you always will be." Oliver hung hopefully onto her every word. "But... I think I like you, Oliver."

His face brightened and he hugged her. "Well, I know I like you. I realized it a few months ago. I want to be more than just your best friend."

Gwen smiled. "I want that too. But I think we should stay just friends for a little while. Katie needs time to cool off. And I don't know if I can handle another relationship right now after last night..." Not that Oliver was anything like Michael.

He nodded understandingly. "You're right. I totally get it. You just let me know." He kissed the top of her head and released you. Gwen rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her again. For a while, Gwen just stared out the window in a pleasant silence.

Around 11, she heard the compartment door slide open. She turned, expecting to see the witch with the trolley, but find herself staring open-mouthed at none other than Katie Bell. Oliver's arm was still around her waist.

Katie's eyes narrowed to thin slits. "So. I was right."

Oliver shook his head. "Katie, I already explained this to you this morning. Gwen was not trying to steal me from you. I just realized I like her as more than a friend. I think you're too young for me, too. And you were moving too fast for me. I didn't ask you to come to bed with me last night." How interesting... "You're a great Chaser, and I hope this won't affect Quidditch." She looked daggers at Gwen, and, having nothing to say, slammed the door shut and stormed off.

Gwen suddenly started laughing and Oliver looked at her, puzzled. "I just remembered... haha... I freaked out when I heard her in your room last night."

He blushed, but also started laughing. "Yeah, she followed me up there. Trapped me on the bed... I guess you weren't the only one..." He coughed. "I managed to throw her off when I heard you shout."

"So you didn't... do anything?"

"Dear Lord, no. She's only 13." He shuddered and Gwen laughed again.

Gwen and Oliver returned home to Scotland. They didn't see Katie for the rest of the train ride, which was fine with them. Too bad Gwen already sent her sweaters...

A nice blanket of snow covered the yard; Gwen loved snow. They just got home yesterday, and haven't really talked to each other. Gwen was up in her room, trying to decide on a book to read. She had just decided on Book 1 of the Wheel of Time series, when she heard a bang on the window. She nearly jumped out of her skin and ran to the window to see it covered in white powder. Despite the cold, she threw the window open and stuck her head out, looking down. Oliver stood under her window, packing snow into a ball in his hands.

"Oliver, what...?" Gwen began, but without warning he threw the snowball at her. Gwen ducked just in time to avoid taking it in the face. Oliver nearly fell over from laughing so hard. "Oh, you just wait, Mr. Wood!"

Gwen closed the window and changed out of her sweatpants and into some jeans- flared, of course- and threw on a hoodie. She thundered down the stairs and pulled open the coat closet, snatching her winter coat off the hanger. Then she dug around for her boots and slipped into them, not taking much time to tie them tightly, but well enough.

She swung the door open and bam! A snowball hit her chest. Oliver was waiting for her. He started laughing, but she immediately formed a snowball and threw it at him, hitting his stomach. They both reached down to scoop up more snow, but they both missed this time. He turned to run away, laughing, but she grabbed more snow and chased after him; Gwen's snowball hit him in the back of the head with an "Ow!" but she laughed harder. "It's only funny until someone gets hurt, then it's hilarious," she always said. He fell down, but she wasn't fooled. This had always been his favorite trick when they were kids because he knew how she hated to see people hurt. Gwen quietly formed another snowball and walked up beside him.

"Nice try, Oliver." She wasn't expecting his next move. He quickly flipped over, knocking her down with his legs, causing her to land on top of him. Gwen's knees fell to either side of his body, her hips right against his. "Uh..."

They were both breathing a little more heavily than normal, small clouds forming near their mouths in the cold. Gwen felt Oliver's arms move to her back, and her face moved slowly closer to Oliver's, but suddenly she was unsure of herself. She sat up abruptly, which made her hips press against his and he gasped.

"Oliver, I... I don't think I..."

"Shh..." He sat up, one hand on her back, and the other brushed a piece of golden brown hair out of her face. This time she remained still as his face came closer, and he pressed his lips softly against hers. Gwen's hands wrapped around his neck. This was the first time she had actually kissed Oliver, and she couldn't deny that she liked it, no matter what happened the other night.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Oliver asked quietly. She hadn't even realized he had pulled his lips away. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"No," Gwen said into his neck. "It wasn't you; it was just... the other night..."

"I know," he practically whispered, rubbing her back. "Why don't we go in; it's cold out here."

Gwen pulled away from him to look into his face, those chocolate brown eyes gazing back at her. "Oliver, I... I just need you to be my friend right now. I can't stop thinking about the other night..."

He nodded. "Let's go in."

"Okay." She still didn't move.

"Gwen? Not that I would mind staying like this, but you need to get up so we can go in. My arse is freezing." He had been sitting in the snow for the past five minutes.

Gwen laughed and stood up, then held her hand out to him. He took it and also stood.

"I'll be over in a minute," he said. "I need some dry clothes."

Gwen went back up to her room and removed her wet clothes, changing back into her sweatpants, a tank top, and a fresh hoodie. She also put on her ducky slippers. When she got downstairs, Oliver was standing in the living room, also in comfy clothes.

"So what do you want to do?" Gwen asked.

"I dunno. How about a movie?"

"OK. Let's watch... Willow. And I want hot chocolate..."

Gwen asked her mother to make them some hot chocolate with marshmallows while she got the movie started. She sat next to Oliver on the couch, as always, her legs folded under her, and covered their laps with a blanket. Just before the movie began, Gwen's mom brought out the hot cocoa and cookies. It was almost like they were six again.


	6. Adventures in Muggleville

Gwen opened her eyes and looked around to realize she was in the living room. She must have fallen asleep on the couch last night while watching _The Neverending Story_ with Oliver. Oliver. He must have gone home. But wait- did an arm just tighten around her waist? Sure enough, there was pleasant warmth at her back and she noticed soft breathing on her neck. Why did he have to be so damn comfortable to sleep with? And why did her parents leave them like this? Simple: Gwen and Oliver had been buddies since they were six and nothing would ever happen between them... They had fallen asleep on the couch together maybe twenty times in the past nine years, but since Gwen and Oliver had come to like each other, this seemed different.

About five minutes passed and Gwen still hadn't moved a muscle.

"Good morning." His hot breath tickled her ear.

"How did you know I was awake?" Gwen asked.

"Well, I woke up and I could tell by your breathing that you weren't asleep." He was always so logical.

"Oh."

Another five minutes went by in silence until Gwen heard her mother come out of the kitchen. "Ah, finally awake, sleepyheads?" she asked brightly.

"What time is it?" Gwen inquired, sitting up a little too fast and feeling dizzy.

"Eleven. You two looked so cute, I didn't want to wake you. You looked like little kids again, all tuckered out," she laughed. Oliver sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Why don't you two get something to eat?"

Gwen stood up, swaying slightly, and Oliver followed. They sauntered into the kitchen, rummaging for food. Cereal? No. Eggs? No. Bagel? Yeah. Onion bagel with cream cheese. Gwen sat at the table across from Oliver, who had a bowl of Lucky Charms.

"What d'you want to do today?" he asked. "Why don't we go see that movie?"

"What movie?"

"That one movie. You have a poster on your wall. You've read the book like six times?"

"Oh!" Gwen exclaimed, truly excited now. "_The Fellowship of the Ring_! How could I have forgotten it was out? I've been looking forward to this for a year."

"We'll go tonight so we can fly." Any excuse he could find to fly.

They spent the rest of the day working on holiday homework; they have essays to do for their various classes. Several hours later, Gwen had showered and dressed. She wore navy blue corduroy pants with a matching jacket, a white t-shirt, and navy blue sneakers. She had a small braid over each ear pulled to the back of her head. White eye shadow had been swept over her lids and along the lower lash line.

She walked downstairs to find Oliver waiting in the living room wearing blue jeans and a black sweater, holding her coat.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yup." Gwen donned her coat and checked her pockets for Muggle money, then led the way outside to their brooms. The sun had set and the sky was dark, so it was safe to fly. There was a town about fifteen minutes flying away, and luckily, it had a movie theater. Their brooms lowered as they reached the edge of town, hiding them in some bushes.

After a few minutes walking, they arrived at the theater. Gwen handled the money since Oliver had no clue how to use it, buying popcorn and Swedish Fish; Muggle candy was pretty tasty. The theater was fairly full, but Gwen and Oliver managed to find seats in the top row toward the middle, setting their coats in an empty chair on the side. Gwen settled in for the two-and-a-half hour film, prepared to be wowed.

Three hours later, about eleven o' clock, she and Oliver emerged from the building.

"That was amazing!" Gwen exclaimed, eyes still wide. "That Peter Jackson did an awesome job bringing the story to the screen... What did you think, Oliver?"

"Oh, it was all right. Of course, I don't have anything to compare it to, but it was pretty awesome."

"I can't wait until next year!" They reached their brooms and mounted, setting off for home. Fifteen minutes passed and they landed on the front porch. "Well... good night, Oliver. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Gwen." He looked ready to kiss her, then seemed to change his mind and walked away.

Normally Gwen slept as late as possible, but today was different—it was Christmas, and she got up with the sun. Her enchanted sun flared up in her now bright, cheery forest of a bedroom. She threw on her robe and rushed downstairs where a real Christmas tree stood, thanks to her Muggle-born American father.

Her parents still slept, which was no surprise, so she knelt by the tree digging her presents out of the pile. She shook a few, trying to guess what was inside. Some were heavy for their size. Suddenly she heard a deep chuckling behind her and turned around to face the source.

"What are you doing here, Oliver Wood? I wasn't expecting you for a few hours yet."

"Well, Gwen Pennington, I'm done shaking all of my boxes and thought for sure you would be up."

"You thought right." Gwen couldn't help but smile, setting down the last box. However, he still hadn't quite answered the question. Oliver normally wasn't over so early on Christmas, not in all the years she had known him. "So why are you here so early?"

"Well... I just thought... we could... hang out." As he spoke, he slowly moved to the couch and sat down.

"All right, we can... hang out." She sat next to him on the couch, grabbing the remote and turning on the television. _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ was just starting. She and Oliver exchanged glances and began singing immediately. Apparently, they were singing a little too loudly because Gwen's parents appeared at the foot of the stairs, asking after the noise. All they could do for answer was dissolve into laughter.

Several hours later, Gwen found herself sitting on the floor, a large pile of wrapping paper next to her. On the other side of her, a mound of various objects: new clothes, books, jewelry, movies, posters, CDs. Not to mention one of the posters from Oliver looked like he had tried to make it move with his wand.

When all was said and done, Gwen went to her room and put everything away. As she hung the last poster-- Green Day—there was a knock at the door. She called for the knocker to come in and Oliver entered. He had a wrapped box in his hand.

"What's that?" Gwen asked, pushing a thumbtack into a corner of her poster.

"Oh, uh, I know you're just as much of a chocoholic as I am..." He held the box toward her. After she took it, he sat in the new chair hanging from the ceiling like a comfy swing.

"Thanks. But you didn't have to--" 

"Yeah, I did. That broom servicing kit is awesome. Thanks."

"You're welcome." She pushed the last thumbtack in and looked around at the other posters on the wall-- Linkin Park, Matchbox Twenty, Lord of the Rings, pictures of faeries-- then sat on her bed.

"Merry Christmas, Gwen."

"Merry Christmas, Oliver."

A few days had passed since Christmas, making today the 28th. Gwen and Oliver were just relaxing around the house, completely bored out of their minds. The two of them were sitting on the couch, flipping mindlessly through the channels on television. Suddenly Gwen got an idea.

"Hey, Oliver," she said, tapping his arm, "you want to go see the Muggles?"

"The Muggles? Why the bloody hell do you want to go see the Muggles? Their lives must be so hideously boring without magic."

"I think it'd be fascinating to spend time with them."

"Of course, you would. You're taking Muggle studies. Besides, you don't suggest we fly into town in broad daylight, do you?"

"Well, I suppose that would attract attention," she admitted. Gwen spent a few minutes trying to think of a way to get to town without being seen. "Too bad we can't Apparate yet... Oliver! What about your dad's invisibility cloak?"

"C'mon, Gwen!" Oliver said with an exasperated sigh. "We don't even know if we'd be allowed to go to town. Besides, how would we both be able to fly under the cloak?"

"Easy, share a broom. And why wouldn't we be allowed to go?"

"We might be exposed! The Muggles would freak if they found out what we are! Don't you remember anything from History of Magic? And what if the cloak comes off while we're flying?"

"Don't be such a pessimist, Oliver. All of those witch trials were hundreds of years ago! We'll leave our wands at home, watch our tongues, and hold onto the invisibility cloak."

Oliver sighed again, steadily weakening, almost ready to give in. "Gwen, we still don't have permission."

"Permission to do what?" The two nearly jumped out of their skins, whipping around to see their mothers standing in the doorway to the kitchen. It was Maura Wood who spoke.

Now that the time had come to actually ask, Gwen's confidence shriveled a bit.

"Gwen wants to go see the Muggles. Totally her idea," Oliver readily supplied. She gave him a hurt look.

"Now? Absolutely not."

"How would you get there?"

"You can't fly in broad daylight!" Their mothers began to shoot down the proposal, each statement another bullet.

"Mum!" Gwen interrupted. They kept talking over her and she had to yell several times before they stopped. Gwen had gotten off the couch and was now standing behind it, facing them. Oliver stood on the other side of the couch. "_We_ have thought it out already. We leave our wands at home, don't talk about school, and fly there on one broom. We can cover ourselves with Mr. Wood's invisibility cloak."

Once she finished, she watched them uncertainly, biting her lower lip as she always did when she felt nervous. Behind her, Oliver looked at the floor and shook his head.

"We need to talk this over," Gwen's mother said, and they disappeared back into the kitchen.

Gwen let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and resumed her seat on the couch. Oliver sat next to her and they both silently stared at the wall while their mothers talked the matter over in the next room. After what seemed like forever, they returned to the living room.

"All right. You can go," Mary Pennington said.

"But, Mum-- What?" She was utterly taken aback. Maura held out the invisibility cloak.

"Here, before we change our minds."

"Thank you!" Gwen squealed, hugging them both.

Now that they had gained permission, Gwen checked their clothes to make sure they were Muggle-appropriate. She tossed the invisibility cloak to Oliver and rushed to put on her shoes, nearly putting them on the wrong feet in her excitement. Sure, they had gone to town before, but always at night when they wouldn't be seen flying in. Plus, they had never actually tried interacting with the Muggles. Gwen was glad that Oliver was going with her.

Gwen held the invisibility cloak while Oliver got his shoes on. Remembering that it was cold, she reached for her cloak. Oliver ostentatiously cleared his throat and she realized Muggles didn't wear cloaks and she would stick out like a sore thumb. Grabbing her coat, she handed Oliver his, then stepped outside. The two of them ran next door for Oliver's broom, and Gwen climbed on behind him. Throwing the cloak over them, Gwen wrapped one arm around Oliver's waist and held the cloak with the other hand. The air was calm so Oliver did the same, one hand on the broom handle.

Finally, they set off after a few minutes of Oliver's adjusting the cloak. He pulled it this way and that until Gwen's mother came out and confirmed that they were completely covered. Oliver flew a little faster now than he did last time they went to town, making the flight last about 10 minutes. They hid the broom in the same bushes just outside of town, covering it with the invisibility cloak. They carefully studied the location to make sure they remembered where they were hidden.

"Here we go." Taking Oliver's hand, Gwen led the way into town. She thought their arrival would be less noticed if they came out of an alley, and she thought right. Stepping out of the lane, they found themselves between a small restaurant and a bookstore.

"Now what?" Oliver asked. "It looks a lot different in daylight with more people around than it did at night when we came to see the movie. Everything's open," he added in a lower voice.

"Let's go in this bookstore right here," Gwen suggested.

"Figures," he muttered.

Forgetting that she still held his hand, Gwen walked into the bookstore, a small bell jingling as she opened the door. The shopkeeper greeted them warmly, pointing out the fantasy section when Gwen asked. Pleased by the wide selection, she started browsing through the books on the shelves. Oliver began looking idly over them, not showing her level of interest.

"I don't see what's so interesting about these Muggle fantasy novels, Gwen."

"Oh, they're fascinating! I love to see how the Muggles write about magic. There are so many different brands of magic in these books. It's like every author invents his own kind."

"I suppose I can see why that would be... interesting," Oliver said.

A few more minutes passed and they left the bookstore empty handed. Oliver took her hand again, and she smiled at him. Just then, they were approached by a few Muggle teens that looked to be around their age. Two boys, one red-haired and green-eyed, the other brown-haired and brown-eyed, and a girl. Her dark hair fell just past her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes studied them. The brown-haired boy stepped up behind her and put an arm around her waist.

"I've never seen you around here before," she said bluntly. Oliver squeezed Gwen's hand slightly, a warning to keep cool and not reveal too much.

"We're visiting some relatives who live just outside town." Gwen's hesitation was barely noticeable. "My relatives; I wanted him to come with me. I'm Gwen, this is Oliver."

The girl looked her up and down, obviously considering her explanation. She seemed to accept it. "You travel together?" Her eyes darted to their clasped hands. "You must be serious."

"We've known each other since... kindergarten," Oliver said. "I'm sorry; I didn't catch your name."

"I haven't given it yet. If you're visiting relatives, why aren't they with you? To show you around town."

Gwen's turn to add to the fabrication. "It's my grandparents. My parents are with them, and we didn't want to just hang around the house, so we decided to check out the town by ourselves."

"Ah, I see. I'm Claire. This is my boyfriend Bryan," she jerked her head at the brown-haired boy," and this is our friend Nate. Your accent's funny," she said suddenly. "Where are you from?"

"We live in Glasgow. But I lived in the U.S. until I was 6; my dad's American."

"Cool. Would you guys like to hang out with us? We'll show you around town," Claire offered.

Gwen looked up at Oliver, who nodded, and accepted the suggestion. The three strangers led them through town, pointing out various "points of interest." A few popular restaurants, a pet store where they stopped briefly to watch the puppies, a park. They stopped at a small café for a bite to eat and ordered something called a "soda."

"I have a cousin who lives in Glasgow," Nate says. "He's our age, goes to the public secondary school. Name's James MacDuff. You know him?"

"Uh... no. We go to a boarding school," Oliver said. Gwen could see him searching for a name. "St. Peter's... of Northumberland."

"So you're a couple of rich kids?" Bryan asked.

"No," Gwen replied shortly. "We earned scholarships. Our parents want us to have a 'good education.'" Jebus, Gwen hoped this was working.

The five fell to talking, seated around a table in the corner. They mostly discussed music and movies, Oliver going along with whatever Gwen said. They had spent the last hour in the café and it 5 o'clock drew near. All together, Gwen and Oliver had been in town about two and a half hours. Oliver looked at his watch.

"Gwen, I think we should be going. It'll take us 15 minutes to get back and we're already late for dinner."

His voice pulled her out of a trance-like state, hardly believing that she was talking to real Muggles.

"Huh? Oh, you're right! It was nice meeting you three." She left some money on the table to pay for their drinks, not realizing one of her coins was a Knut. They said their goodbyes and got up to leave, but Claire's voice called them back.

"Gwen, what is this?" she asked slowly, holding up the bronze coin. Gwen's tongue stuck to the roof her mouth when she realized the mistake. She licked her lips.

"It's... just a piece of my little cousin's play money," Gwen attempted nervously. "He must have slipped it into my pocket." She took the coin and replaced it with a Muggle one. She and Oliver said goodbye again and left as quickly as they dared.

"There's definitely something odd about them," Bryan said as they departed.

Oliver guided the way back to the edge of town, keeping a firm grip on Gwen's hand. "We were almost caught, Gwen! I knew this was a bad idea." He released her to search for the broom.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, feeling the invisibility cloak under her fingers.

"Let's just go home." He got on the broom and she followed, throwing the invisibility cloak over them both. She wrapped an arm around his waist again, resting her head on his back. The next ten minutes passed in silence until they landed in the front yard. Without taking off the invisibility cloak, Oliver turned around.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. I overreacted. It wasn't that big a deal," he stated sullenly.

"But you were right, we could've bee caught. Forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me for being a jerk."

Gwen hugged him in response and kissed his cheek. "You weren't being a jerk. You were trying to maintain secrecy. I should've been more careful."

"Let's forget about it." He kissed her cheek, and then she kissed his cheek again, this time closer to his lips. He did kiss her lips the next time, driving all thoughts of a week and a half ago out of her mind. Before she knew it, Gwen and Oliver were making out under the invisibility cloak.

The front door opened and Mary called out. "Gwen, Oliver, you out there?"

Terrified of discovery, Gwen quickly pulled away from Oliver, jumped off the broom, and whipped off the invisibility cloak.

"Just got home!" she cried breathlessly. Her mother gave her an odd look, nodded slowly, and went back inside. Gwen let out a deep breath and turned to face Oliver who looked a little dazed. "Merlin, that was close!"

"Now who's paranoid of being caught?" Oliver said with a smirk. Gwen threw a snowball at him.


	7. A Funeral and Family

It was about three in the afternoon on December 31. Gwen was in the kitchen, helping her mother get food ready to take to the party.

Unfortunately, Gwen's family was meeting at her Aunt Kathy and Uncle Arthur's house, so she got to spend the evening with the cousins who hated her. Oh, joy. Luckily, the two oldest ones, already out of Hogwarts, wouldn't be there. Sometimes they were the worst. However, that still left four snobby cousins who treated her like dirt. Gwen could only hope today would be one of the days when they ignored the fact that she existed.

"Mum," Gwen began, sliding a batch of cookies into the oven, "are the Woods coming?" She stopped tossing the salad to look at her daughter.

"Yes," she said slowly. "I know you and your cousins don't get along very well." That was an understatement. "Sean and Maura didn't have any plans for tonight, and I thought it would be nice if Oliver were there for you to hang out with." She gave Gwen a knowing smile, which she did not like at all. She couldn't possibly know that she and Oliver were becoming more than friends... could she?

Feeling that her cheeks were beginning to color, Gwen turned away from her mother. She started dropping balls of cookie dough onto a sheet, popping a bit into her mouth. "Oh."

Several hours later, Gwen walked downstairs, ready to go. Not feeling a need to dress up, she wore dark blue, flared jeans, and a Happy Bunny tee that read, "Crazy doesn't even begin to describe it." _That should make them laugh,_ she thought wryly. Sean, Maura, and Gwen's parents waited in the living room. They went quiet when they saw her.

"Oh, Gwen, Oliver is next door, getting ready. Could you tell him to get a move on? It's nine already," Maura suggested.

"Okay..." Gwen answered slowly. Putting on her grey Vans and grabbing her coat, she gave them all a worried look as she stepped outside; they were all giving her that odd, knowing smile. Okay...

Gwen stepped inside the Wood house, looking around at all the Quidditch paraphernalia. _So it's hereditary._

"Oliver?" she called.

"Gwen? I'm upstairs."

She walked upstairs and down the hall to where Oliver's bedroom door stood half-open. She quietly pushed it open the rest of the way, thinking to scare him. His back was to her, his arms through the sleeves of a black turtleneck sweater. Who knew a guy's back could be so beautiful? She could see dark blue boxers over the top of his khaki cargo pants. He saw her reflection in the mirror and jumped, then spun around. He was not at all hurrying to pull his sweater down, so she got a nice look at his abs, too.

"You scared me," he said.

"That was the point," Gwen replied with a smirk. Without realizing it, she crossed the room to stand two feet away from him.

"Is it time to go?" he asked quietly, moving a foot closer. Gwen looked up at him and nodded. "We have to go right now?" She thought for a second and shook her head slightly. "Good." He almost whispered the last, slowly reaching out to put a hand on her waist. She put her hand on top of his head to ruffle that gorgeous brown hair.

"I've been wanting to do that for some time now," she confessed. He pulled her closer so their bodies almost touched and started moving his face toward hers. Gwen tilted her head until her lips meet his in a soft kiss. He kissed her a little more firmly, then abruptly pulled away.

"You're not thinking about Michael?" Only Oliver could inadvertently kill a mood by showing concern. She wanted to forget she ever knew that bastard Michael Havelock.

"Michael who?" He smiled and she kissed him again. This went on for a little while until Gwen realized they should be getting to the party.

At about nine thirty, they arrived at Kathy and Arthur's house. Well, it was almost a mansion, really. They liked to flaunt both their excessive wealth and the fact that they were a Wizarding family. As they walked into the house, they were greeted by Chloe and Zoe, Kathy and Arthur's identical twin daughters. They were a year ahead of Gwen and Oliver, in Hufflepuff House. Thankfully, she hardly ever saw them, only at meals. Even then, they liked to pretend they didn't know her.

"Hey, Squib," Chloe said. Okay, so it wasn't exactly a greeting.

"I can't believe you're in your fifth year," Zoe added. "I thought you would have flunked out long ago." They laughed at the insult.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere trying to raise your IQ?" Gwen retorted. The twins really weren't very smart. "You should stop bleaching your hair; it's leaching away what little intelligence you do have." They stared at her blankly, so she pulled Oliver past them through the foyer.

Gwen wound her way through the crowd of obscure relatives, looking for her mother. People she vaguely remembered kept stopping her to comment on how much she had grown, or how much she looked like her mother. Gwen did her best to smile and nod to each or thank them for compliments. She seemed to have lost Oliver and started looking for him, only to find herself face to face with an old, kind-faced woman. The only relative she liked...

"Grandma Wendy?" Gwen had not seen her grandmother for a very long time because she had been traveling.

"Is that my Gwen? It's been so long since we've seen each other." Gwen bent slightly to hug her grandmother, who was considerably shorter than she was.

"I've missed you, Grandma."

"And I you, my little pixie." She called Gwen that when she was little because she loved to wear fake faery wings. "Let's go sit down somewhere, I have something for you." Gwen followed her to an empty sitting room, taking a seat on a brown leather sofa. "I've just been to Ireland, traveling the countryside and sort of studying their mythology. I actually met a few real faeries, though they're very skittish around humans. Anyway, I got this for you."

Out of nowhere, she produced a silver necklace with a small faery charm holding a tiny crystal ball in an uplifted hand.

"Oh it's beautiful! Thank you, Grandma!"

"Don't gawk at it girl, put it on," she laughed. Gwen did so, and then began catching up on things that had been happening in her life: starting school at Hogwarts, hanging out with Oliver, going to town the other day. Some time passes before Oliver walks in.

"There you are, Gwen. This place is a madhouse," he said.

"Oliver! This is my Grandma Wendy. Look at the necklace she brought me from Ireland."

"Pleased to meet you," Oliver said politely. He extended a hand to Wendy, which she accepted.

"What a handsome young man! He's a keeper, Gwen," she whispered to her. Then louder, "Well, I'll leave you two alone, shall I?"

"But, Grandma, it's been so long," Gwen protested. "Can't you stay?"

"I'm sorry, dear, I wish I could, but I really must be gong," she said sadly. With that, she got up and walked to the door, one last approving smile for Oliver before she left. Gwen stood to follow her but when she opened the door, her grandmother was gone. She told Oliver as much.

"Wow, your grandmother moves fast. Unless she Apparated somewhere," he said. Frowning, Gwen headed down the hall, Oliver following along behind.

"As far as I know, she couldn't Apparate. I need to find my mum."

Eventually she found her mother in the library, talking to her Aunt Kathy. She looked as though she had been crying, Gwen's father gently rubbing her back. Oliver's parents also seemed to be trying to comfort her.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Gwen asked, crossing the room to her.

"Maybe you should sit down, Gwen," Kathy suggested. A bit confused about what was going on, Gwen slowly sat on an over-stuffed sofa. Oliver took a seat next to her.

"Gwen," her mother began, sounding a little hoarse. "I have some bad news. We just... got an owl..." She broke into sobs and Gwen's father stepped up.

"Gwen..." She could tell he was searching for the right words. "Grandma Wendy... passed away this morning while traveling in Ireland. We just got the news. Oh, Gwen..." Her mouth hung open; she was utterly shocked.

"That's impossible," Oliver interjected. "I just met her."

"You must've been mistaken, Oliver," Maura said reproachfully.

"No," Gwen interrupted. "We just talked to her, not 10 minutes ago. She gave me this necklace!" She stood up and grabbed the faery, Oliver following suit with a hand on her shoulder.

"Gwen, I know you're upset. It's okay. You don't have to make up-"

"I'm not making it up!" Gwen yelled. "She was here!" Suddenly the charm felt warm and the windows flew open, then slammed shut again. Everyone flinched when the windows slammed shut again, attributing it to teenage magical hormones. Gwen had slammed doors and windows when she was angry before. Luckily, she had never caused any serious damage or personal injury. Oliver made shushing noises and rubbed her back. Gwen took a few deep breaths. "I can't believe she's gone..." Tears started rolling down her cheeks and she buried her face in Oliver's sweater. Somewhere a clock struck midnight. Happy New Year.

Two days later, January 3, arrangements had been made for Grandma Wendy's funeral. That was it; Gwen was now alone outside of her immediate family and the Woods. Her grandmother was the only other relative she loved, or even liked. One of her fondest memories was the summer she spent with her when she was nine going on ten, the year before entering Hogwarts. It was also that summer that her grandfather had gone missing.

Peter Grey was an Auror, hunting down what was left of Voldemort's supporters. He was last seen in Germany, and after Gwen left her grandmother's, Wendy went looking for him. Many had given him up for dead, but not she. Three years she searched until finally learning of his death, a victim of some nameless Death Eater.

Even after receiving the news, Wendy continued to travel. She did not like coming home to an empty house. On the rare occasions that she was home, she worked in her garden. Wendy loved flowers.

Tears welling up in her eyes, Gwen made sure no one was around. Tabitha and John, her two younger cousins, had already been by to laugh at her grief. No one spent as much time with her grandmother as she did, though her travels made it difficult. She wrote as often as she could.

Gwen felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up from where she knelt in front of her grave, heedless of the snow and her numbing legs. With blurred vision, she could just make out Oliver's form. He knelt next to her, studying the headstones of Wendy and Peter, though his was empty; no body was ever found. Oliver then noticed the tears she held back and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay, Gwen," he whispered. She let the tears fall, holding him close.

"I just feel so alone," she managed in a weak voice.

"But you're not alone. You'll never be alone. I'll always be with you," he said softly. "And so will she, as long as you keep her in your heart." Gwen let that sink in, crying against his chest. "We should go in before you catch frostbite." He helped her stand and wipe away tears, then they walked into the house. Removing her shoes and cloak, Gwen avoided the family gathered in the parlor.

She led Oliver through the kitchen of her grandmother's Victorian-style house and up the back stairs. For a brief moment, she saw herself as a little girl, baking cookies with her grandmother. Blinking back more tears, she reached Wendy's bedroom and walked to the alcove at the corner of the room, windows all around. She looked up at the ceiling.

"Pixie," Gwen pronounced, and a trapdoor opened, a ladder dropping down in front of her. Oliver looked at her, but she simply climbed up into the secret tower room where she used to read with Wendy. He followed after her, and both door and ladder disappeared, leaving a solid floor. She avoided looking out the window since Wendy's grave could easily be seen in the middle of the garden. She settled onto one of the many cushions littering the floor.

"Gwen?" Oliver said quietly, sitting across from her. She looked at him, repressing tears.

"I don't think I want to talk right now," she whispered, not sure she could make her voice steady enough to speak louder. He nodded in understanding and they sat in silence. Gwen decided to lay her head in his lap and he stroked her hair.

Suddenly Gwen's mother's head appeared.

"I thought you might be up here," she said, climbing the rest of the way up. Gwen sat up and wiped her cheeks. "They've just read Grandma Wendy's will. She left the house to you." Gwen's jaw dropped, leaving her gasping like a fish out of water.

"Me? What am I going to do with a house!" she exclaimed. "I'm not old enough to live on my own!"

"Shh! Calm down, Gwen," her mother said, chuckling. "When you're older, out of Hogwarts. The house elf will take care of it until then. She left you a small fortune, as well. Too bad you weren't down there to see your cousins. They're rather jealous. Your Aunt Patricia and Uncle Gregory were hoping to get it; they've just left with Tabitha and John. Kathy's getting ready to leave, too. I should see them out..." She left Gwen alone with Oliver to ponder her inheritance.

"Wow, Gwen," Oliver said in awe. "This is your house now." Gwen nodded, still in shock.

A short time later, she and Oliver went down to the parlor to find their parents talking.

"Would you like to spend the night in your new house tonight?" Gwen's father asked.

"All by myself?" Gwen questioned.

"Oliver could stay with you," Maura said. Were they actually suggesting that Gwen and Oliver stay there alone all night? Gwen was not sure her father was entirely comfortable with the proposal, but the women seemed to be in control.

"Umm... okay..." Gwen responded slowly. "If Oliver doesn't mind..." She looked at him, and he was trying not to seem too eager in nodding his head.

"I wouldn't mind keeping her company," he said in a rush.

"It's settled then!" Gwen's mother said. "Well, it's getting late, we should go home. If you need to come home for any reason, just use the fireplace." They said good night to everyone, noticing that it was only eight.

"It's been a long day, I just want to go to bed," Gwen yawned. She went back upstairs and showed Oliver the room she always slept in on visits. A large four-poster resided on one wall, opposite an already lit fireplace, with navy blue velvet hangings. Tapestries and paintings of forests scenes and magical creatures adorned the light blue walls. Heavy curtains covered the windows.

"So... is my room next door or something?" Oliver asked nervously.

"I don't want to be alone tonight," she replies quietly. This was a new step. Gwen and Oliver had _fallen_ asleep on the _couch_ while watching movies together tons of times, but they had never purposefully _gone_ to sleep together in a _bed_ before.

"Shall we sleep in our clothes then?" he inquired shakily. For answer, Gwen stripped down to a black camisole and matching boy short undies, then walked to the bed and pulled back the hangings. Oliver stripped down to his boxers and followed, pulling the curtain shut again after him. In the darkness, Gwen snuggled against his bare chest, listening to his racing heartbeat as she fell asleep.

Gwen woke the next morning to find herself half-naked in bed with Oliver, his arms wrapped around her waist, her head steadily rising and falling with his chest. After breakfast and dressing, she and Oliver returned home, still wondering what drove their parents to trust them so far.

Christmas break finally ended. Gwen and Oliver had just stepped off the train in Hogsmeade and into a carriage. A light snow began to fall as they passed through the gates and onto the Hogwarts grounds. Throwing back her cloak, Gwen walked through the front doors and then into the Great Hall for dinner. Searching for a seat, she noticed Katie, Alicia, and Angelina glaring at her. She figured Katie would still be upset with her, but she was hoping Alicia and Angelina wouldn't take sides.

"I am not looking forward to going to my dorm tonight," Gwen muttered to Oliver; he frowned.

"Let's sit with Fred and George." Taking her hand, Oliver led her to the redheaded twins. She sat next to him, across from the mischievous Weasleys.

"Enjoy your break?" Fred asked.

"Not entirely," Oliver began. "Gwen's grandmother died New Year's Eve." 

Gwen could see the grins sliding off their always-happy faces. "Wow, Gwen, we're really sorry to hear that," George said sympathetically.

"The past few days must have been rough for you," Fred added in a solemn tone.

"Thanks guys, but I'd rather not talk about it right now," she said. They nodded slowly and she began piling food onto her plate. It was kind of hard to believe that they didn't try to make at least one joke.

After dinner, they found themselves in the common room.

"I'll be right back," Gwen said. "Mom and Dad wanted me to send an owl when we got back to school." With that, she headed upstairs, dreading what would happen when she entered the dorm. Slowly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The three girls in the room fell silent upon her entrance, but otherwise ignored you. Gwen hoped that some day she could call them friends again.

Walking to her nightstand to retrieve parchment and quill, she noticed something on the nightstand: a smallish box wrapped in silver paper. Curiously, Gwen reached out and picked it up, frowning at the tag. Forgetting all about the parchment, she turned around and went back down to the common room. She took a seat next to Oliver, still staring at the box.

"What's that?" Oliver asked.

"Michael's gift," she responded slowly.

"Oh," he said lamely. Now he was staring at it, too. No one spoke for about a minute.

"Well, are you going to open it?" Fred asked, a bit impatiently. Gwen looked up at him, then nodded. Lifting off the lid, she saw blue tissue paper. This she removed, then she realized Oliver wasn't breathing. Odd, that. She set the box down in her lap and pulled out the contents: a silver heart-shaped locket on a box chain.

Gwen carefully opened it, dreading what she knew she would see. Sure enough, one side showed Michael blowing kisses; the other, Gwen smiling and waving. Looking at the images, she felt a rush of anger. Gwen stood up and took a step toward the fireplace, the faery charm under her sweater suddenly warming against her skin. On impulse, she threw the necklace into the fire, and it started melting the instant it left her hand.

Gwen felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Oliver. She didn't really need to see his face to know it was him.

"What just happened?" Fred asked. Both twins were wide-eyed.

"It just started melting," George said, "before it even got near the fire." 

"Why don't you guys go to bed," Oliver suggested. Well, it sounded more like an order.

"But we don't want- Good night, then." Gwen didn't see which twin spoke since she had turned back to the fire, but she heard them walk upstairs. 

"Let's go for a walk," Oliver said softly. When she made no sign of consent or protest, he took her hand and led her through the portrait hole.

"You have an hour and a half!" the Fat lady called. Gwen had forgotten about curfew. Oliver guided her silently through the castle and she paid little attention to where they were going. Eventually they ended up in the owlry.

"What are we doing here?" Gwen asked.

"You're going to write a letter to your mother and ask her about that necklace," he replied. "First the windows flying open at your aunt's and now that necklace melting- not that I mind- but I don't think those are your average emotional magic powers. I think it's that necklace your grandmother gave you."

"Oh." Gwen stared at him for a moment then dumbly searched for Pegasus, her snowy owl. She flew down to her and Gwen fed her a treat. "Wait, I haven't got parchment and a quill."

"There's always some here," Oliver said, and brought the items to her. Gwen thought for a moment before she began writing.

_Dear Mum,  
We're back at school, but there's another reason I'm writing to you. I'm not sure how to go about it, really. You see, it's that necklace I got from Grandma Wendy. It seems to be responding to my emotions. Well, only anger so far. It just melted silver. Do you know anything about this sort of thing? Hope to hear from you soon._

Love,   
Gwen

She tied the letter to Pegasus's leg and sent her off, watching her through the window until her snowy form disappeared. Gwen and Oliver walked back to the common room, and ended up falling asleep together on a couch.


	8. Happy Birthday

Gwen stood over her open trunk, looking around the dormitory to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Nope, everything was packed. She closed the trunk with a snap, securing the latches. Katie closed her own trunk and smiled at her. Their friendship had returned to normal after they discussed the matter of Oliver. Well, it was more like an argument really. In any case, Katie saw that she and Oliver just weren't very compatible; Gwen made sure she realized it. She had a boyfriend of her own, now.

"I bet you're ready for the summer hols," Katie said.

"You can say that again," Gwen agreed. "The O.W.L.s were almost unbearable. I can only imagine what the N.E.W.T.s will be like. I don't care where I'm going, as long as I don't have to take any tests," she laughed, and Katie joined in. 

Gwen dragged her trunk to the top of the stairs and saw Oliver at the bottom waiting for her. "Oliver, do me a favor. Put your foot on the bottom step, please," she said. He gave her a puzzled look, but did as she asked. The stairs immediately turned into a slide to prevent any boy from entering the girls' dormitory, and Gwen pushed her trunk forward. Katie followed suit.

"That was brilliant, Gwen!" she exclaimed. "I wouldn't have thought of that." Gwen grinned back at her, then slid down to the common room. Luckily, Oliver had moved their trunks out of the way.

"Beats carrying them down," Gwen chuckled, "and it's a lot more fun."

About an hour later, she found herself sitting next to Oliver on the train, with Fred and George across from them. The train started moving and she stared blankly out the window, fingering the faery necklace always in place around her neck.

"What's on your mind?" Oliver asked, tapping her leg.

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about what Mum told me of this necklace." Gwen read her letter so many times she could repeat it perfectly. _A talisman common among witches, it responds to strong emotions, especially negative feelings like anger. Although many witches and wizards, especially adolescents, may cause lights to flicker and other such phenomena when angry, it is best not to displease a witch who owns such a talisman, especially if she does not yet know how to control it. They are most powerful when the wearer is in danger, offering protection. They are also said to bring good luck._

"Not your average piece of jewelry, is it?" Fred said with a sly grin. 

"I guess we should stay on her good side, then," George added, nudging his twin.

The four friends fell to talking about their summer plans, and Oliver invited the two to stay at his house for a week.

"No, you should stay at my house!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Your house?" All three boys voiced the question at the same time.

"Yes, my house! Not my parent's house. My house that I inherited from my grandmother!"

"Uh, Gwen?" Oliver began. "Do you really think your parents would let you stay in that house for a week with three teenage boys?"

"We could invite a few more people, maybe Katie, Alicia, and Angelina... have a party." The guys looked at her like she was crazy. "Okay, maybe that does sound worse," Gwen laughed. "Let me think about it for a while."

"In the meantime, how about a game of exploding snap?" George suggested.

It was odd; in all the years Gwen and Oliver had known each other, she had only been in his bedroom a dozen times. Maybe less. It somehow seemed weirder for her to be in his room than he in hers, though something at the back of her head told her it should be the other way around. His room was so private, like him. Most people didn't know his personality; all they saw was the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. That was all he let them see. Gwen knew him better than anyone, but for some reason she got this thrill from being in his bedroom, like she was closer to him. Closer to seeing into his soul.

Not that there was anything extraordinary about his bedroom. Gwen looked around at the decorations on the dark wood-paneled walls: posters of Puddlemere United, his favorite Quidditch team; Gryffindor pennants; his first broom mounted above the closet. Gwen shook her head and laughed softly at the last.

School had been out for a week and their OWL results should have been coming that day. Gwen shifted to make herself more comfortable on the bed, her feet on the floor and her hands on the edge of the mattress. Still uncomfortable, she propped some pillows against the headboard, got her entire body on the bed with her back on the pillows. _That's better._ _What's taking him so long?_

As though the thought summoned him, Oliver walked in carrying a glass of lemonade in each hand. His eyes widened visibly when he saw her position on the bed, propped against the pillows with her legs stretched out in front of her. What was the big deal? Gwen sat on her bed like this all the time.

"Took you long enough," she said with a smile. "I thought you might've fallen in."

Oliver chuckled and shook his head. "I thought you might be thirsty," he said, offering a glass. Gwen accepted the drink and took a sip. _Ah, just the right amount of sweetness._

Gwen was a bit disappointed when he took a seat in the lone chair across the room, near the chalkboard he used to make Quidditch strategies. Now, however, there were party plans written all over the green surface.

"Well, Katie already told us she'll be out of the country all summer, touring the Continent with her family," Gwen said thoughtfully. "We could keep it to Fred, George, Alicia, and Angelina." Oliver agreed and a piece of chalk flew into the air to write the names under "Guests."

"I've just had a thought," Oliver said. "Why don't we make it for your birthday?" Hmm, that is an idea. "Sweet sixteen." He grinned, but it was an innocent grin. Merlin help her, but she loved to see him smile. A new thought formed in her head, and she straightened her mid-calf-length skirt so it at least covered her knees. Did a frown just tug at the corner of Oliver's mouth? No, it couldn't have.

"That sounds good," Gwen responded as though half her thigh hadn't just been exposed. The chalk flew up again to write "July 17" under "Date." Oliver seemed to give himself a small shake before asking the next question.

"Okay, now how about," he looked at the board, "food? I suppose we'll need a birthday cake now." The words were written under their proper heading. 

Gwen took a moment to think, pushing a bare-chested Oliver out of her head. Or at least to the back of it for later thought. "What qualifies as party food, exactly?"

"Umm I'm not sure," he admitted with a laugh. "We haven't been to many parties, have we?"

"No, I suppose we haven't," Gwen said with a smile. "We'll just make a regular dinner. How about my dad's baby back ribs and 'special' potatoes?"

"Yeah, your da makes the best ribs. I guess there's nothing for it now but to wait for our parents to get home and approve the plan. Are you sure they'll go for it?" 

"Oh, yeah. They've been acting very strangely lately. Almost like they plan to leave us alone together. Very strange." It was true; today, their fathers had to work, of course, but their mothers decided to go shopping. That made the third time that week! Each of their previous trips took all day, and they came home empty-handed! Gwen turned her head to look at the clock; it was only 1:30. They had at least another three hours until they returned. 

"Aren't we supposed to get our OWL results today?" Oliver asked.

"Yup." He groaned.

"Aren't you nervous?"

"Yup."

"Me too." The silence stretched on for a few minutes.

"Oliver?" Gwen said suddenly, turning to look at him. "Come here." She took a long drink of her lemonade.

"Why?" he asked slowly.

"Because," another sip, "I can't kiss you if you're all the way over there," she said casually. 

A second grin spread across his lips, this time with a hint of mischief. He stood to cross the room, taking a seat on the other side of the full-size bed. Gwen sat up and grabbed his hand, pulling him closer. Still smiling, he leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her lips. She gladly kissed him back, moving her right hand to the back of his head. Gwen kissed him a little harder, remembering how fond he had grown of these "snogging sessions," as he would say. 

After an intense half hour of kissing, Oliver started tickling her side.

"Hey!" she laughed, jerking away. "Cut it... out!"

"Not yet," he responded, a devilish glint in his eyes. He reached for her side again, tickling her more. Somehow, Gwen managed to slide out from under him and grab his stomach, making it his turn to double over with laughter. Her fingers dug under his arm and he barked another laugh.

Another half an hour found them both flat on their backs, gasping for air, still chuckling.

"My sides hurt," Gwen panted, smiling widely.

"Mine too." 

"And now I'm tired."

"Me too." Gwen crawled over to lay her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I could use a nap," she said, stifling a yawn.

"Then go to sleep."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. Maybe I will." She curled up against him, making herself comfortable on his chest. He rubbed her back gently until she fell asleep.

After receiving their OWL results, Gwen and Oliver had another reason to celebrate. Gwen passed all of her tests, with the highest grades in Potions, Transfigurations, and Herbology, all very important for a Healer. Oliver did well on his tests, also. Besides, with their Ordinary Wizarding Levels, they could now do some magic at home. Oh yes, this was going to be fun.

Perhaps her parents agreed to the party to reward her high marks, or they had seriously gone crazy. Six teenagers virtually alone in a house all night? In either case, Gwen was sitting on the couch in her living room - at the house she inherited - with Alicia and Angelina, while Oliver, Fred and George were on the other couch, a coffee table between them. Gwen's mother had just left after another one of the hourly check-ups to make sure the six of them weren't getting into trouble.

They had just finished dinner and were about to open presents before having cake. Gwen looked at the small pile of boxes on the coffee table in front of her, wondering where to start.

"Ours first," Fred suggested while George offered her a box. They both wore their usual mischievous smirk. Gwen accepted the red and green package with suspicion, slowly untying the bow. BANG! The ribbon fell away with a small explosion. The twins were positively grinning now.

"I expected nothing less," Gwen laughed, peeling off the paper and removing the lid. Under a few layers of tissue paper, she found some homemade fudge and an awesome knit scarf. "Oh, wow! I love it!" 

"Well, Mum wouldn't let us give you the stink bombs," George said, a hint of disappointment in his voice, "so we had to settle for something safer."

"Tell your mum it's most appreciated," she chortled, leaning over the table to hug them. After sitting back down, she set the box aside and Alicia handed her a pretty purple bag. Gwen opened this present with less caution since Alicia wasn't the pranking sort.

"I had to go into Muggle London to get that, just for you. It was fascinating!" Alicia said. Gwen reached in and removed a navy blue hoodie. First, she saw the back, and a pair of wings was printed in sparkly white. Unfolding the garment, she read "faeries are real" on the front with a little winged figure on each side.

"Thanks, Alicia! That's so cute!" She hugged the Chaser until Angelina pulled her off.

"Mine next! Alicia and I went shopping together." Angelina handed Gwen a blue box with a silver bow. Removing the lid, Gwen pulled out a softball tee, white with black sleeves, and "witch" on the front in red spidery letters. All three of the girls fell over laughing.

"That is awesome!" Gwen exclaimed when she could breathe again. The guys on the other couch were laughing a bit, too, but obviously didn't really get the humor of it. Gwen settled down and breathed deeply to calm herself. Only Oliver's present was left.

Without a word, he handed her a little silver bag. Reaching in, she found two CDs: Franz Ferdinand and the Killers. Gwen had only been obsessing over them since she came home from school and heard them on the radio. She squealed with excitement and climbed over the table to hug him, practically in his lap. Suddenly very aware of the other people in the room, she refrained from kissing him. Okay, maybe just a quick peck on the cheek. And the lips. Blushing only slightly, she returned to her seat on the other couch.

"Can you believe what happened at the end of term?" Alicia said suddenly. "About what Potter did."

"Oh well, it's a bit scary, really," Gwen said, shifting uncomfortably, and everyone nodded. 

"Yeah, who would've thought that git Quirrel was possessed by you-know-who?" Fred asked.

"Unbelievable," his twin agreed. "It's still hard to accept that he was teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts all year with the Dark Lord himself underneath that turban." The group fell silent, pondering the rumors about the Boy Who Lived surviving a second attempt on his life.

"And our little brother was involved. Mum freaked when she found out," Fred said. Suddenly Gwen heard a few pops. 

"How is everything?" her mother asked.

"Fine, Mum."

"You kids need anything?" Mrs. Wood inquired.

"No, Mum, we've got everything," Oliver assured her. Gwen showed them all of her presents before they left and said they would be back in an hour.

"Well, it's only nine how about a movie?" Gwen asked. Since all of her friends, except Oliver, had not seen many movies, she chose _Willow_, one of her all-time favorites. Her parents checked in on them a few more times and then they headed off to bed. Gwen's mother and Mrs. Wood stayed overnight, more to watch everyone else than Gwen and Oliver. After all, they had left Gwen and Oliver alone overnight before. 

After a little more talking, Gwen slipped into the bed once occupied by her grandmother, wearing the pajamas her mother gave her for her birthday, a tank top and matching shorts, blue with moons and stars. Oliver was in the room they shared last time, Alicia and Angelina in another guest room, and Fred and George in the last. Gwen's mother and Oliver's were downstairs. Gwen really was quite tired, so she concentrated on her breathing, feeling each muscle relax until she fell asleep.

_She was in a forest. It was very dark despite the full moon in the sky above. Looking around, Gwen realized she was in a clearing surrounded by pine trees. Suddenly she noticed an older man standing in front of her, one who was vaguely familiar..._

"Grandpa!" she exclaimed, trying to get his attention, but he didn't seem to see or hear her. He appeared to be listening intently for something. Gwen heard a rustling and another figure stepped into the clearing hooded and cloaked. It shouted something... there was a bright green light...

Gwen sat bolt upright in bed, shaking and covered in a cold sweat. She had just dreamt about her grandfather's death... It must have been because she was in the house and he was buried outside. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep anymore. Sliding out of bed, her feet cold even with socks, she walked down the hall. Before realizing it, she was opening Oliver's bedroom door.

"Gwen?" 

"Yeah... how did you know?"

"I don't know. I woke up and something felt... wrong. When you opened the door, I just knew it was you somehow."

Closing the door behind her, Gwen crossed the room to Oliver's bed. He scooted over so she could climb into the warm spot left by his body. Automatically, she curled against his chest, realizing he was not wearing a shirt, only pajama pants. Forgetting this after a moment, she pulled the covers up more and made herself comfortable.

"Gwen, you're shaking... what did you dream about?"

She drew a deep, shuddering breath. "I'll tell you in the morning." His arms tightened around her, holding her close. So much for not being able to sleep.


	9. Questions Anyone?

Gwen closed her eyes more tightly when a bright light flooded in from somewhere. She turned over when the light persisted and buried her face in something warm.

"What's going on?" Oliver asked sleepily, awakened by the light and Gwen's burrowing into his chest.

"I was going to ask the same thing, Wood." The male voice was familiar, but in her comatose state of sleepiness, it did not register to Gwen.

"Well, Fred, I'd say they're catching a little shut-eye." Both Gwen's and Oliver's eyes snapped open and they sat up quickly, nearly bumping heads. "They both appear to be clothed and the sheets aren't very messy, so I don't know why they're so tired." George was smirking in a way Gwen didn't like at the moment. She felt her cheeks go pink, and she was sure that Oliver's were, too. Instead of trying to change the twins' impression, he attempted to change the subject.

"What time is it?" he asked, shielding his eyes as the twins opened the heavy curtain further.

"About noon," Fred answered. "Angelina and Alicia went to wake Gwen, but it looks like we've done the job for them." _Nope, not getting off so easily_.

Speaking of the two Chasers, the girls walked into the room. They seemed confused at first, probably because Gwen was not in her bed, but then they noticed her in the bed behind Fred and George.

"Gwen! What would your mother think?" Angelina said, absolutely shocked.

"Really! I know you two are going into your sixth year, but don't you think you're still too young-" Alicia began before Gwen cut her off.

"Whoa! Just to clarify, nothing happened! I had a really bad nightmare, couldn't sleep, so I came to Oliver. No big deal! I ended up falling asleep here instead of going back to my room." This didn't seem to be enough of an explanation for them, but that was all Gwen would say. One of the twins started on something about comforting in a low voice, and Gwen didn't think she really wanted to hear.

"It's true," Oliver affirmed. "She was shaking and breaking out in a cold sweat. She hasn't told me about it yet, but it seemed pretty bad."

"But what if your mother finds out?" Alicia repeated.

"Well, our parents are weird about it. They let us sleep on the couch at home all the time... I don't see how this is any of your business, anyway," Oliver said finally, signaling an end to the conversation. The twins caught his tone and raised their hands in resignation. The girls opened their mouths in protest, but before either could say a word, the house elf poked her head in the door.

"Forgive me, Mistress, but your mother says brunch is ready, Mistress." Her large eyes blinked nervously and her ears flapped as she bobbed a curtsy in her pristine pillowcase. She would never accept clothes, even if it meant she could stay and work in the house.

"Thank you, Pinkie." Glad to escape her questioners, if only for a few minutes, Gwen got out of bed and slipped past them to the bathroom. When she entered the dining room, she saw Oliver had put on a shirt and sat next to him. The other four raised their eyebrows but Gwen rolled her eyes. 

"Hello, sleepy heads," her mother said cheerily as she walked in, several plates floating ahead of her. The plates slowly lowered to rest in front of everyone at the table.

Hoping to escape questioning, Gwen crammed a piece of toast into her mouth and Oliver started inhaling his scrambled eggs. Gwen's mother, at the head of the table, gave their table manners a quizzical look, and their friends were flat-out staring at them.

"Well?" Fred said.

"Do we get to hear about the infamous nightmare?" George asked. Gwen held up a finger to signal "wait a minute" and started eating more slowly. Very slowly. She didn't want to talk about that just yet. When they saw she wasn't going to start talking, one by one her friends start eating. About twenty minutes later, she was the last to finish eating. Everyone looked at her expectantly, including Oliver, though his face was a little softer. The dream spilled from her lips, every detail she remembered. By the end, the twins were staring at her soberly, the girls open-mouthed, and her mother looked paler than usual.

"That explains the shaking and the cold sweat," Oliver said gently, rubbing Gwen's back. She was shaking a bit again, so he pulled her into a one-armed hug, kissing the top of her head. She recalled the bright green light in her mind and clung to him, his other arm moving around her in a tighter embrace.

"Could you see what his attacker looked like?" Her mother's voice attempted a nonchalant tone, but she sat stiffly with a firm grip on her orange juice glass. 

Her face half-buried in Oliver's chest, Gwen tried to answer her. "No, it was dark. And his hood was up." Why would she ask that? Her grandfather had been dead seven years. Did it really matter anymore? It was hard enough to deal with then and Gwen didn't see a reason to bring it up.

She nodded her head as though she expected that answer and gave a tight, "Just curious." 

"So you don't mind if they sleep together?" Angelina blurted out. Mrs. Pennington raised an eyebrow.

"As long as they _are_ sleeping." Suddenly she laughed lightly, relaxing a bit. "No, they know better than to do otherwise. And I would know if they did." Gwen didn't doubt that.

"In the same bed?" Alicia said disbelievingly, clearly not understanding that some people can sleep together without "sleeping together." _Why is everyone in my business?_ As the thought finished, Gwen's hands tightened on Oliver's shoulders and her empty glass shattered. Luckily, the shards didn't go flying. The girls shrieked, the twins pushed their chairs back, and Oliver held her more tightly. Gwen's mother simply looked at her and repaired the glass.

"I think that's enough questions about Gwen." Her eyes didn't leave Gwen's face as she spoke. "I think that dream put her under a great deal of stress."

After the glass breaking, the mood was more than subdued. Gwen reclined on the couch, nestled between Oliver's legs as his right hand idly played with her hair. Angelina and Alicia were on the other couch, and the twins were in chairs. Everyone's attention was directed at the television screen. Gwen popped in _The Princess Bride_ since no one seemed to want to talk, especially not to her. She didn't want everyone to be afraid of her just because she broke a glass. Oliver's left arm around her waist gave her a quick, comforting squeeze. _How does he always know?_

Not even one of her favorite lines could bring a smile to her face right then.

_"No more rhyming now, I mean it!"_

"Anybody want a peanut?" 

Gwen rested her head on Oliver's chest and sighed, so he moved his right arm around her waist with his left and placed a soft kiss on her temple. "Don't worry about it," he whispered in her ear.

She tried to follow his advice and concentrated on the movie, pushing thoughts of her dream out of her head. Before she knew it, it was Inigo's famous scene.

_"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."_

Not long after that, the movie ended. The mood lightened thanks to the film, and a murmur of comments broke out, along with some quotes.

"That was awesome!"

"So funny!"

"Humperdink! Humperdink! Humperdink!" 

"Never go in against a Sicilian when _death_ is on the line!"

Finally, Gwen relaxed and smiled.

"That's better," Oliver said, kissing her cheek.

Time came for Angelina and Alicia to go home, so they gathered their things. Standing by the fireplace, Gwen thanked them for coming and the gifts they gave before they disappeared in two flashes of green flames. 

"I think I'm going to take a shower," Gwen announced to no one in particular. It may have been three in the afternoon, but she really didn't care.

Half an hour later, a knock sounded on the bathroom door. Gwen slipped into her white tank top, the last item of clothing, and called for the knocker to enter. Oliver's head appeared around the door, eyes closed.

"I'm dressed," she laughed, hanging up her towel and picking up a comb. He looked like he had had a shower, too. His eyes opened and he stepped into the large bathroom.

"You look cute," he said. Gwen paused her combing briefly and smiled at him in the mirror. _A plain white talk top and knee-length shorts are cute? Okay._

"Thanks." She resumed combing her hair, parting it for pigtails.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked carefully, closing the door.

"I guess I'm still a little shaken about that dream. Why?"

"Well, the glass..."

"I was just upset about everyone being in our business. We're not doing anything, and they wouldn't need to know if we were." While she talked, Gwen braided one section of her hair and wrapped a pony tailer around the end. Oliver nodded in agreement.

"All right. It's just..." He trailed off and she turned to face him, braiding the other half of her hair. 

"Just what?" she asked softly, getting the feeling that he wasn't going to say what she sensed was bothering him. 

"Just... your mother has a surprise for you outside." Finishing her hair, Gwen gave him a small smile and a soft kiss on the cheek before following him to the back yard. She walked barefoot through the grass.

Before they got all the way around the house, Oliver went behind her and covered her eyes, guiding her the rest of the way. Suddenly the grass under Gwen's feet turned to sun-warmed cement. _I don't remember any cement out here..._

Oliver removed his hands and Gwen blinked back the sunlight reflecting off water. _Water?_

"Surprise!" her mother exclaimed, standing a few feet away on the side of a large, rectangular swimming pool. "I thought you might like a swimming pool to go with your house."

"Wow! Thanks, Mum! I love it!" Gwen gave her a huge hug. The twins already wore their swimming trunks, making their way to the five-foot diving board. 

Gwen ran upstairs to change into her bathing suit, a regular bikini, black with a white hibiscus print. She headed back down the hall and pushed open Oliver's door without thinking. His back was to her, his swimming trunks just above his knees. Gwen squeezed her eyes shut and quickly closed the door, but not before she got a good look at his rear end. When he opened the door, Gwen was leaning against the opposite wall, trying to stop giggling.

"May I help you?" he asked in a tone of mock annoyance. "What's so funny?"

"Nice ass." Gwen took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. Oliver's jaw dropped in shock.

"You saw...!" His mouth worked soundlessly.

"Just the back!" Gwen covered her mouth and the next round of giggles. 

"Well, if you enjoyed the view, why are you laughing?" he smirked. "And you do realize that you now owe me?" Gwen stopped laughing and eyed him fearfully.

"Owe you what?" 

"You saw mine, so I deserve a look at yours." Oh, no, one of those mischievous smirks. Those were always dangerous with him.

"Now! But it was an accident!" Gwen slowly backed away down the hall.

"Whether you meant to or not, the fact remains. But I'll let you decide when to repay your debt." He walked past her, that grin still playing on his lips. _Were his fingers crossed? He wouldn't..._

Back outside, the twins waited in the pool.

"Took you long enough!" Fred said.

"Going for a roll in the hay, were you?" 

"Don't be ridiculous, George," Gwen responded. "We don't keep hay in the house." Let them think of that what they would.

Wand in hand, Gwen conjured a volleyball net across the pool and a ball, of course. _This magic at home stuff is great._ She set her wand on a poolside table and slipped into the water where Oliver awaited her on the side of the net opposite the twins. _Come on, Gwen, don't stare at his gorgeous chest,_ she told herself. Another voice answered, _He should tell himself the same about you._ _Damn cold water._ Oliver seemed to give himself a small shake before turning to face the twins.

"So what do we have to do?" George asked.

"It's simple," Gwen answered. "Just keep hitting the ball to our side of the net, and we'll hit it back." She was not going to go into any technicalities. She tossed the ball into the air to serve, hitting it over the net when it came back down. Apparently, she hit it a little too hard; the twins ducked. "Our point," she grinned. "Toss it back." Her second serve was easier on them, and George smacked it back.

After a full hour of spiking and diving, the twins decided they needed a break.

"It's definitely more fun with four people," Oliver said. "And it's nice to be on the winning side of the net for once." He stuck his tongue out at Gwen.

She climbed out of the pool and toweled off before resting on a lounge chair to catch some rays. Pinkie came out of the house with a tray of lemonade and handed a glass to everyone. She also had Gwen's sunglasses. "Thanks, Pinkie," she smiled. Every time Gwen said her name, she felt the urge to exclaim "Narf!" She missed that cartoon. Gwen sipped from her glass, enjoying the perfect balance between sweet and sour. The world somewhat darkened by her shades, she tried not to think about her unnerving dream. Suddenly she felt fingers on her arm, and she looked left to see Oliver with a furrowed brow. _Does it show on my face? Is it written on my forehead?_ She smiled at him, and after a moment, he returned the gesture. 

Stretching out on her lounge chair, Gwen closed her eyes and sighed. _Just a short doze..._ Someone shook her gently. No, not someone: Oliver. She knew it before she opened her eyes. By the light, it appeared to be late afternoon, or early evening. _How long have I been asleep? Am I sun burnt? Wait, what's this?_ Something's shadow covered her. Tilting her head back, she saw a large umbrella.

"When you fell asleep, I thought I'd leave you for a while," Oliver said. "I figured you needed the rest after last night. And I didn't want you to get burnt, so I put an umbrella over you."

Gwen smiled at him and sat up. "That was very sweet of you." She reached out and rested a hand on his cheek, her thumb gliding across his lips. He started to lean in.

"Oy! Dinner!" Oliver closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. He was annoyed. His hand lightly grabbed Gwen's wrist, since her hand was still on his cheek.

"We'd better go in." She lowered her hand and he nodded, helping her out of her chair.

"What time is it?" Gwen asked while walking toward the house, combing her hair with her fingers.

"Around six," Oliver replied. "You slept about two hours. I figured I had to bring you inside some time." He flashed her a cheeky grin and threw an arm around her waist, pulling her close. He still wore only his swimming trunks, and she was a little shocked by how much of her skin touched his. He seemed to notice too and let go.

Before dinner, Gwen threw on her clothes from earlier, the black Bermuda shorts and white tank top. When the meal finished, the twins headed home with the promise of returning next month for Oliver's birthday. 

"Thanks for coming," Gwen said as she hugged George. Then came Fred's turn. "And tell your mum I said thanks for the gifts."

"Aye, aye, cap'n!" they affirmed with a salute before disappearing in a whirl of green flames.

"They have got to be the weirdest guys I know," Gwen laughed.

"Yeah, but they're excellent Beaters," Oliver agreed. She cocked her head to the side and looked at him. 

"When you picture people in your head, are they always wearing Quidditch uniforms?"

"Not everyone. Not you." His face turned pink, but before Gwen could ask him what he meant, she heard a pop behind her.

"How are things going?" her mother asked.

"Fine," Gwen answered. "Fred and George just left."

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Yeah. There's still some cake left, so I think I'm going to have a piece." Gwen headed toward the kitchen. "Do you want a piece?" Oliver and her mother followed, so she cut three slices. Chocolate with a homemade butter cream frosting. Grandma Wendy's recipe. "Where's Daddy?" 

"Working late at the office again," Mary sighed. "They hardly let him sleep anymore. Are you two staying here again?"

"Uh... I guess," Gwen said, wondering about the sudden change of subject. She looked to Oliver for confirmation, but he just shrugged. "Sure."

"All right, then. I'd better be going. I'll let your parents know, Oliver." She gave Gwen a quick hug before Disapparating.

"That was... odd," Gwen said.

"As always. Let's go for a swim. And try not to fall asleep again."

Gwen stuck her tongue out at him and headed outside, her suit still under her clothes. Standing by the side of the pool, she removed her tank top and started pulling her shorts down.

"Hey, Gwen!" Oliver called. "Nice ass!"

Horrified, she checked her suit only to discover that the bottoms were firmly in place. 

"Ha ha ha, very funny, Mr. Wood." She stuck her tongue out at him again, but he just laughed.

"I certainly thought so, Miss Pennington."

The net was still up, so they started a game of volleyball. Oliver hit the ball high up and over the net, and Gwen jumped up and spiked it. It came down hard and hit Oliver in the face, possibly the nose, causing him to yowl in pain. Gwen gasped and magicked the net away to hurry over to him. When Gwen got close, she tried to move his hands out of the way, but he wouldn't let her see. Suddenly, just when she turned away, Oliver grabbed her waist and pulled her close against him. 

"Tricked you," he smirked.

"I thought you were hurt!" Gwen exclaimed, not trying to get away.

"I know; that was the point." Another grin. "I managed to deflect that killer spike of yours and still make it look like I got hit. Oh, the cleverness of me."

"Why would you pretend to be hurt?" Her hands snaked around to the back of his neck.

"Why? To get you over here, of course." Under the water, his hands slid to her lower back.

"Couldn't you think of a nicer way to get me over here?" She tilted her head a tiny bit.

"I don't think it matters how I got you over here, as long as you're over here." Oliver leaned in to make up for his height, though it was only a few inches difference, and Gwen smiled as their lips met. The sky darkened as the sun set and the lights in the pool came on, but neither of them noticed. Her fingers crawled up to tangle in his hair as the kiss deepened, his tongue sliding between her parted lips. Again, his hands moved, but this time around and down to cradle her hips. He pulled her lower body tight against his. Gwen's eyes snapped open and she pulled her head back just enough to speak.

"Hello, Mr. Wood." 

"Hi," Oliver said, eyes still half-closed. He started leaning in again, but then he realized to what exactly she was referring. "Oh, Merlin! Sorry!" His cheeks went red and he backed away, hurrying out of the pool. Gwen opened her mouth to stop him, but he ran toward the door, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind him. Pinkie would not like that.

Gwen took her time getting out of the pool and toweling off, since she knew he would need a moment to collect himself. She really didn't think he should be so embarrassed. It was a natural reaction. And they had known each other forever. She walked down the hall to his room and stood outside the door for a minute.

"I don't want to talk right now!" he called. It sounded like he had buried his face in a pillow.

"I figured. I just wanted to say... you shouldn't be so embarrassed... and whenever you're ready to talk again, I'll be in my room." There was nothing but silence on the other side, so Gwen went to her room. She waited up for him in the tower for a while, but at twelve o' clock, she finally went to bed.


	10. Recurring Dreams

_She was in a forest. It was very dark despite the full moon in the sky above. Looking around, Gwen realized she was in a clearing surrounded by pine trees. _

"No!" she whispered into the night as she sat upright in bed. "Not again." Gwen looked at the clock; it read 2:12 a.m. Throwing the covers back, she slid out of bed and walked across the room, out the open bedroom door. She continued down the hall and stopped outside Oliver's door.

About a minute passed, and she still stared at the closed portal. _He probably doesn't want to be bothered. _Another thirty seconds went by before she turned around and returned to her room. Reluctantly, she crawled into bed and pulled up the covers, drifting off to sleep a second time.

_She was in a forest. It was very dark despite the full moon in the sky above. Looking around, Gwen realized she was in a clearing surrounded by pine trees. Suddenly she noticed an older man in front of her; one who was vaguely familiar._

"Grandpa!" she exclaimed, trying to get his attention, but he didn't seem to see or hear her. He appeared to be listening intently for something. Gwen heard a rustling and another figure stepped into the clearing hooded and cloaked. It shouted something... there was a bright green light... her grandfather lay dead on the ground. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she knelt by the lifeless body. 

Gwen awoke crying and alone, quickly getting out of bed. _Maybe it's this room. _In the bathroom, she flicked on the light and turned on the cold water at the sink. She cupped her hands and held them under the faucet, letting it form a small pool. She took a sip before splashing it on her face.

"Gwen, it is three o'clock in the morning. What are you doing?" Oliver appeared at the door rubbing his eyes, his hair a complete mess. She dried her face and hands and rested them on the counter.

"Can't sleep. What are you doing?" She kept her eyes down, watching the water drain from the sink.

"I woke up and heard the water running. You look wide-awake. What's wrong?"

She didn't answer, and he studied her for a moment. They had known each other for almost ten years, more than half of their lives, and he knew her like the back of his hand. Gwen could almost say the same of him, though he was more guarded, even with her. Still, there was an uncanny connection between the two. When she remained silent, he took a guess.

"Did you have that dream again?" Nothing got by him. After a few seconds, Gwen nodded but didn't look at him. 

"Twice." She heard the patter of his bare feet across the tiled floor and felt a hand on her back. "But the first time I woke myself up before it really got started." Finally, she brought her head up to look at him in the mirror. "It didn't end at the light this time. I was kneeling by his body before I woke up." He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, folding his arms around her. She buried her face in his bare chest. 

"You need to get some sleep. C'mon," Oliver said, leading her back down the hall to her room after shutting off the bathroom light. He tried to move forward, but she stopped in the doorway.

"I can't go back in there. I can't sleep in that bed." Gwen started crying and shaking, wanting to get away from the room that used to belong to her grandparents.

"Shh... okay, its okay. You don't have to go in there then. Will you be all right in one of the guest rooms, or do you want to go home?" he asked with concern. She looked up at him with wide eyes that were bright with tears.

"Can I sleep with you?" She almost whispered the request. He hesitated. "Please, I can't sleep alone." He gave in and she followed him to his room. The sheets were sort of messy, as though he had been tossing and turning in his sleep, but at the moment, she was too distraught to ask about it.

Gwen crawled into bed and Oliver closed the bed curtains, as though trying to shut out her nightmares. Pulling the blankets up to her chin, she settled her head on his chest. She was so afraid to go to sleep that she was almost lying on top of him, one leg hooked over his. He stroked her hair until she finally drifted off.

_She was in a forest. It was very dark despite the full moon in the sky above. Looking around, Gwen realized she was in a clearing surrounded by pine trees. Suddenly she noticed an older man in front of her; one who was vaguely familiar._

"Grandpa!" she exclaimed, trying to get his attention, but he didn't seem to see or hear her. He appeared to be listening intently for something. Gwen heard a rustling and another figure stepped into the clearing hooded and cloaked. It shouted something... there was a bright green light... her grandfather lay dead on the ground. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she knelt by the lifeless body.

The hooded figure stepped forward into the moonlight, chuckling. He kicked Peter over onto his back and lowered his hood, looking down at the body in disgust.

"You should have chosen a different profession, Grey. One that would have let you live out your days in peace." Infuriated by the murderer's condescending attitude, Gwen looked up into his face, wanting to burn it into her memory so she would know him when she saw him.

He was tall and looked to be very strong, a sturdy, well-built man with a set jaw. He had dark hair and a thin mustache to match. There was a cruel glint in his dark eyes. She stood, but the scene began to fade. 

"I saw him," Gwen said, opening her eyes. She lay on her back, her arms and legs bent and folded from tossing and turning.

"Saw who?" Oliver asked from the other side of the bed. "Are you all right? You've been rolling all over the place for the past five minutes." He was sitting up and one of the curtains was pulled back to let in some moonlight. "I tried to wake you, but you just kept tossing and turning."

"I saw him," she repeated, sitting up herself. "I saw my grandfather's murderer."

They sat in silence for a moment, leaning against the headboard, the bed curtains on Oliver's side drawn. Pale blue moonlight flooded in.

"Are you sure what you saw was real?" Oliver asked. Somehow, she sensed his doubt.

"One hundred percent positive," she responded. "I know that was him. I'll find him if it's the last thing I do." Gwen rubbed her eyes. "I really can't sleep now." Hopping out of bed, she grabbed her pillow and pulled the comforter off the bed, dragging it with her.

"Where are you going with my blanket at four a.m.?" Oliver called. 

"Outside," she said simply as she walked out the door and into the hall.

"Why? Hey, wait for me!" She heard his footsteps following her.

Gwen continued through the various rooms, making her way out to the soft, green lawn behind the house after grabbing her wand. She lay the blanket flat and set her pillow down on one side. Then, she raised her wand and cast a bug-repelling charm above and around the blanket so she would not bothered on what was left of the warm summer night.

"Where's your pillow?" she asked Oliver, who watched her in a state of confusion.

"Uh... inside. I didn't know I'd need it." 

"Well, are you staying or going back inside?" 

"You stole my blanket, so I might as well stay," he laughed. Gwen smiled and conjured him a pillow, which he then laid down near hers. "Why are we out here again?" He watched as she lay on her back.

"To watch the stars." She crossed her ankles and folded her hands on her belly. With a smile, he copied her posture. Away from the city, like they were then, a billion stars sparkled in the dark blue sky.

"Do you remember my first Quidditch game?" Oliver asked suddenly after fifteen minutes of stargazing.

"You mean the one when you took a Bludger to the head and spent a week knocked out in the hospital wing?"

"Yeah, that'd be the one. I didn't even last five minutes," he chuckled.

"I'm glad you can laugh about it. That was the scariest week of my life." She rolled to her side and focused her attention on him.

"What do you mean?" He obviously didn't understand. "I was all right in the end."

"I spent every spare moment in the hospital wing next to your bed." She frowned, thinking about it, and resumed her supine position. "I was afraid you were never going to wake up. I didn't want to lose my best friend." 

Oliver propped himself up on one arm and moved over until he leaned above her. She turned her head away, hoping he could not see the tears starting to build up in her eyes.

"Look at me, Gwen," he said softly, reaching out to lightly touch the far side of her face. She turned her head back and he made eye contact with her before continuing. "You'll never lose me, Gwen." He placed her hand on his bare chest. "As long as my heart is beating, and even after that. I'll haunt you if I have to," he added with a smirk.

"Promise?" she asked as a tear escaped the corner of her eye.

"I promise." He let go of her hand to wipe the tear away with his thumb, then brought his pillow closer to hers, and put his head back down. He patted his chest and she accepted the invitation, using him as her headrest. He pulled the blanket over to cover their bodies and they resumed their stargazing.

"Look!" Gwen exclaimed as a shooting star streaked across the sky. "Make a wish!" Her eyes followed the meteor as she took her own advice.

"What did you wish for?" Oliver inquired, causing her to lift up her head.

"I can't tell you that," she smiled.

"Why not? I thought we told each other everything."

"If I tell you my wish, it won't come true." She moved her head closer to his.

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow. "In that case, I won't tell you mine either." His arms wrapped more firmly around her, one hand moving up toward her head. 

With one swift movement, Oliver rolled Gwen over onto her back. Grinning, she brought her head up to kiss him, not minding his weight. His left hand stayed under her head while the right rested on her hip, her arms wrapped around his neck. He lowered his head so she could rest hers on the pillow again. His tongue slid into her mouth; he got straight to the point. Gwen couldn't remember hooking her legs around his, but his hips fit nicely against hers.

With his groin pressed firmly against hers, Oliver certainly felt ready to go. The kisses got longer and harder as his hand rubbed her hip and started sliding around to her bottom. Gwen's hand on the back of his neck pulled their foreheads together as she gently broke lip contact. 

"I must say, Mr. Wood, that you have never before approached me with such ardor," she said in a low voice, eyes half-closed. He ever so slightly ground his hips and she gasped.

"I know." He grinned at her reaction and reattached his lips to hers. And to think that less than 10 hours ago he ran away for what Gwen was feeling right now. Her fingers tangled in his hair while their tongues danced. He squeezed her butt and her eyes fluttered open. However, it was the sight before her and not his hands that elicited another gasp.

"Oliver, look," she breathed, his lips on her cheek, making their way to her neck. He seemed a little too caught up in the moment to realize she was not really responding to him anymore. "Oliver," she tried again, pushing gently on his shoulder.

Finally, he looked into her spellbound face, staring up at the heavens. He saw what was reflected in her eyes and rolled to his side, becoming transfixed by the dozens of meteors streaking across the sky.

"Gwen, that's beautiful and all but..." He trailed off and shifted uncomfortably. Despite the fact that she had a very aroused Oliver next to her, pressing himself against her leg to try to get her attention, Gwen couldn't seem to lower her eyes from the sky. It was as though she was under an enchantment, the scene so stunned her. "Gwen?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you mind..." She could sense his inner conflict. On the one hand, he was an extremely horny teenage boy, lying next to his girlfriend with no parental supervision. On the other hand, he lay next to his life-long best friend. After a long debate, a winner emerged. 

"Where are you going?" Gwen asked as he stood up and headed toward the house.

"To take a long, cold shower."


	11. Bonded

Oliver woke Gwen the next morning, since she had fallen asleep outside some time after he went inside. She tried to apologize for the night before but he said not to worry about it and it was best to return home before they did something they both would regret later.

Gwen sat in her room, trying to read _The Color of Magic_, but utterly failing to concentrate. Oliver was at his house, probably studying _Quidditch Through the Ages_ or going through last year's strategies and trying to figure out what went wrong.

When they came out of the fireplace earlier, he gave her a quick "see you later" and headed to his house. Gwen sighed, renewing her efforts to read. Eventually, she gave up and took a shower with hope of clearing her mind.

After her shower, she donned jeans and a black t-shirt. _Maybe I'll take a walk out back._ She grabbed her black Vans slip-ons out of her closet and walked downstairs, taking her wand with her. Striding through the kitchen, she met her mother and Mrs. Wood sitting at the table, drinking coffee.

"Where are you going, dear?" her mother asked.

"Just for a walk out back," Gwen responded. Mrs. Wood smiled at her. 

Eyeing them suspiciously, Gwen stepped out the back door and breathed in the fresh air. The wooded area a couple hundred meters away was her target. As she strolled across the yard, she thought back to the time she spent there with Oliver when they were younger. A few trails ran through the forest, though whatever made them was long gone. Nothing but birds and the occasional deer, now.

There was a clearing toward the middle, the ground covered with grass. Her father and Oliver's built a playhouse in the clearing for them when they were small, and the two of them spent many hours out there before their Hogwarts days.

Gwen thought she saw a faery there once, when she was seven, but that day was hard to remember clearly. It seemed she and Oliver had fallen asleep in the playhouse, and their parents found them lying in the grass, all curled up. Maybe she had dreamt it.

The thought vanished when she stepped into the forest. The trees were thick and the deciduous canopy dense, but Gwen was surprised by how quickly her surroundings darkened. The leaf-dappled light quickly faded and she withdrew her wand, casting the Lumos spell to help her see. A beam of light brightened her path as she made her way deeper into the woods. After a few minutes of walking in the dim light, she saw a brighter patch ahead. _That must be the clearing._

"Nox." The brilliant beam disappeared and Gwen continued forward. Stepping into the clearing, she saw someone she did not expect.

Oliver stood in front of the playhouse with his back to her, apparently staring at the small building. He turned around when he heard her footsteps.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, and she shrugged in return. 

"I don't know. I guess I just wanted to see if this thing was still standing. What are you doing here?" Gwen shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Now Oliver shrugged.

"The same, I guess. I was in the backyard, enjoying the sun, and I just started walking this way. I don't think I really intended to come here." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I was thinking about last night. I shouldn't have... I very nearly... I'm sorry." 

Gwen couldn't help but smile at the way he stumbled over his words. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's me." She looked down at her feet, letting her wavy hair fall alongside her face. "I shouldn't have picked some dumb meteors over you." She looked up, trying to discern the expression on his face. He seemed shocked by her apology.

"What?" He blinked several times and his mouth opened and closed as he searched for words. "So... you're saying... you regret _not_...?" 

"Well, I didn't say that exactly. I just feel bad about last night. You were so ready to go and I..." She trailed off, looking down again.

"Wasn't?" They had been standing several feet apart until now. Gwen heard Oliver's footsteps coming toward her, saw his feet and legs in front of her, felt his hand cup her chin and tilt her head up. "Don't worry about it. I'm a teenage boy; I'll live." He smiled and hugged her, one hand cradling her head. "I'll just take a lot of cold showers and go through a lot of lotion." Gwen could feel the vibration of his chuckling in his chest and she couldn't help but laugh. After a minute, she stepped back and ran her fingers through her drying hair.

"So, how about this little old building, eh? We haven't been back here in years." Letting her hand slide down his arm, Gwen took Oliver's hand and walked toward the playhouse. 

"Do you remember the day we fell asleep out here?" he asked.

"I do," she replied with a smile. "I was thinking about it on my way out here."

"This may sound a little odd, but I could have sworn I saw a faery that day." He squinted, as though trying to see something past the playhouse, which they were only two feet away from now. Gwen opened her mouth to say that she thought she saw something, too, but didn't get the chance. A bright light flared up around them, and she looked down to discover that she and Oliver each had a foot inside a circle of mushrooms: a faery ring.

A look of awe came over her face, but Oliver seemed confused. The faery charm hung from the chain around her neck, the crystal sphere glowing.

"Gwen, what...?" Oliver began before she hushed him by squeezing his hand slightly. A small ball of white light floated up in front of their faces and Gwen noticed more balls of light in a circle around them, but they weren't white. She saw blue, green, red, pink, and yellow. The only white one she saw was the one in front of them. 

Gwen craned her neck forward, trying to discern the shape in the middle. It appeared to be a tiny person, female, all shining white with long hair. She had a slender figure, and a silver circlet adorned her head.

"Gwen, is that a...?" Oliver whispered.

"Shh!"

The faery leaned forward, silver dragonfly wings fluttering behind her, and stretched a hand out toward Gwen. Gwen drew a deep breath as she moved closer and reached out with her small hand to touch the crystal sphere. There was another flash of bright light as fae met globe, and then darkness.

"Gwen? Gwen! Can you hear me?" She was being shaken, and whatever she lay on wasn't very comfortable. And it was cold. Was that a stick poking into her back? "Merlin's beard, I hope she's all right." That last bit sounded like it was in her head. He felt very concerned. Felt? Gwen reached behind her back and pulled out a twig, tossing it away, and then opened her eyes. Oliver leaned over her.

"You're all right!" he exclaimed, pulling her up into a hug.

"Of course I'm all right. Why am I on the ground? Whoa, loosen up. I'd like to keep my ribs intact," she laughed, and he released her.

"Sorry, I was just really worried."

"That's payback for your first Quidditch match, then." Gwen smiled, but he didn't seem very amused. "Oh, calm down. I'm fine." She patted his cheek and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Are you going to tell me what happened or just stare at me all day?"

He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't really know. The faery touched your necklace, there was a bright light, your hand was stuck to mine, the light went out, and you fainted. I've spent the past five minutes trying to get you to regain consciousness."

Gwen frowned and looked around, the faery ring about a foot to her left. Oliver sat quietly and she realized something in the silence: she was _aware_ of Oliver. Not as if she just realized he sat next to her. In the back of her head, it was like there was a bundle of emotions labeled "Oliver." He felt distressed, slowly relaxing, and then confusion leapt forward. She tried to puzzle out what happened, but Oliver spoke and interrupted her thoughts.

"I can... feel you... in my head," he said slowly. "What are you confused about?" 

"The same thing you are, apparently," Gwen responded. "You're in my head, too."

"What did she do?"

"I'm not sure. I've never heard of anything like this before. We better go ask my mum."

A few minutes later, Gwen and Oliver walked into the kitchen where their mothers still sat talking at the table. They opened their mouths to greet them, but everything started spilling out. Gwen and Oliver spoke over each other, adding things the other forgot. When everything was straightened out, Gwen's mother silenced her.

"It sounds like you've been bonded," she said simply. Gwen and Oliver both wanted to ask her what she meant, but she explained. "You have a magical and spiritual connection between you. You'll always be able to know where the other is when you're apart, and whether they've been hurt physically, as well as their emotional status. But it sounds like the bond was only sealed," she finished thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked. 

"They start early... the day you fell asleep out there!" It was as though she were having an epiphany. "Do you remember that day?"

"Not well," Gwen replied, "but we both thought we saw a faery."

"Yes, it all makes perfect sense," she continued fervently. "Gwen, let me see your right shoulder." Gwen tried to pull her short shirtsleeve up, but this did not satisfy her mother. There, in the middle of the kitchen, she started pulling Gwen's shirt up.

"Mum! What are you doing? Oliver's here!" she protested loudly.

"Oh, hush! It's no different than your bathing suit." How could she say that? Despite her twisting and turning, her mother pulled her shirt off over her head, leaving Gwen in her bra. She didn't care what her mother said, this _was_ different from her bathing suit, and Oliver's expression confirmed it. Gwen crossed her arms over her chest, trying not to feel what Oliver felt.

"Mum!" Gwen protested again to no avail. She turned Gwen around almost roughly to look at her shoulder.

"Yes, there it is!" Her fingers ran lightly over Gwen's skin. "The mark is there." 

"Mark? What mark?" Gwen asked, trying to see her shoulder. Oliver and his mother moved closer to see, and she could sense his amazement. "What?"

Oliver faced her again, mouth agape. "Gwen, you have a tattoo."

"What do you mean I have a tattoo?" she questioned frantically, trying fruitlessly to see her shoulder.

"The Faery Queen leaves a mark on anyone she touches," her mother explained. "It's a small representation of her, a faery with arms and wings outstretched." 

"It's actually quite cute," Mrs. Wood chimed in. "I wonder where Oliver's mark is."

"I'm not stripping so you can search," he said hurriedly. Gwen's mother laughed. 

"It should be in the same place as Gwen's. Let's have a look." After a moment's hesitation, Oliver pulled his shirt off over his head. Sure enough, he had the same small mark on his right shoulder. He seemed worried about something. "It should fade within 24 hours. It always does for males." Gwen perceived Oliver's relaxation.

"Mum, how do you know so much about this?" Gwen asked curiously.

"My mother studied faeries and their magic. She wanted to write a book, but never found the time. I think her notes are still hidden around that house somewhere." Sounded like Gwen had something to search for next time she went to the house.

A week and a half passed since Gwen and Oliver met the faery queen in the clearing, and they were still getting used to the bond. There had been several awkward moments in the last few days. It seemed that teenage boys had trouble controlling certain emotions and reactions, and Oliver was no exception. Sometimes his dreams interfered with Gwen's and changed them to those she wouldn't dare share with her mother or even write in her dream journal for fear someone would find it. She had awakened breathing heavily to sense a very _pleased_ Oliver next door. 

A privacy factor was at stake, too. He was always in her head, his feelings bouncing around and sometimes influencing hers. The other day he got aggravated with a Quidditch strategy, which distracted Gwen and made her stub a toe on the coffee table. _There has to be a way to block him out. _

Unfortunately, Gwen's mother didn't know any more about the matter. The only solution she had to offer was finding her grandmother's notes.

"They're in that house somewhere," she said to Gwen the day before. "She kept them hidden, so you probably won't find them in the library. I only got to look at them a couple of times; I think she meant to give them to you. I'm sure of it since she gave you that necklace." 

The thoughts ran through Gwen's head as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair. Suddenly, her body went rigid and she braced herself against the shower walls. _Again? That's the sixth time in the past ten days! _Gwen leaned forward, gasping as the sensation intensified. At least this time she was alone. Last time he started, she had to excuse herself from the family room where she sat watching television with her parents. _I really need to talk to him about this. _Gwen bit her lip as Oliver's feelings spiked, then panted for air when he calmed. She turned off the water and grabbed her towel before stepping out of the shower.

Gwen dried her hair a little more roughly than usual, trying to figure out how she was going to approach Oliver about this problem. She started a dozen times in her head, but nothing sounded right. By the time she finished dressing, Gwen realized Oliver was in her room. He felt almost ashamed of something.

"I'm sorry," he said as soon as she walked in, catching her off guard.

"For what? Oh. Right." He grinned sheepishly. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

"I know. I'm sorry. I already said that. But really, I am."

"That affects me too, you know. I feel everything you feel. _Everything._" She gave him a very pointed look. _That should certainly makes things more interesting later._

"I know. I just can't help it sometimes." Oliver blushed and ran a hand through his hair. "There must be a way to turn this bond thing off sometimes. At least the physical sharing part."

"I think there is. My mom said there might be, but she doesn't know for sure. We have to find my grandmother's research in the house." 

"When do you want to go?" he asked.

"Now, actually," she responded. "I'd like to take care of this as soon as possible. So if you could just hold off on polishing your broomstick until-" Oliver's laughter interrupted her.

"Pol-" he took a deep breath, "polishing my broomstick?" He nearly fell off the bed and Gwen's cheeks reddened.

"It didn't sound as stupid in my head," she mumbled. Feeling her embarrassment, his laughter slowed, but she started to laugh too. "That was a stupid euphemism, wasn't it?"

"Not stupid, just incredibly funny," he chuckled. "But anyway, you want to go now? Fine, but I'm bringing swimming trunks for after we find it."

"As you wish." Oliver went to wait downstairs while Gwen put her suit on under hr clothes. She and Oliver took the floo to her grandmother's. _I can't wait to Apparate. _

"Where should we look first?" Oliver asked. "This house is pretty big." 

"Well, I know what Mum said, but I think we should start in the library. I have a feeling about it."

The library was a decent-sized room on the first floor, at the back of the house. A desk sat under one window and a chaise lounge under another. A sofa sat in the middle of the room with a coffee table in front of it. There were no blank walls. From the floor to the eight-foot ceiling, bookshelves encompassed the room.

"Gwen, there must be a thousand books in here!" Oliver exclaimed. "You expect to look through all of them?"

"That's the idea. I think she disguised her research as one of these books." Gwen sighed heavily, looking around the room. "Right. Well, you start on that side and I'll start on the other."

There were wizarding books and Muggle books on the shelves, and Gwen started in the Muggle section, stepping onto the first rung of a ladder. Starting at the end, she grabbed a book and flipped through the pages, working her way up the steps.

A half an hour passed. Gwen still searched the first bookcase and it was starting to get hot. She climbed down and opened the windows to let in some fresh air. Once the windows were open and a nice breeze blew in, she ascended the ladder. Most of the books were British classics. She flipped through a collection of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Finding nothing, she moved on to the next set of shelves, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Find anything interesting over there?" Oliver inquired after an hour and a half of work.

"You know I haven't," Gwen replied with a smile. "Ugh, _Great Expectations_. I hate this book. The ending sucks." She opened the cover and flipped through the pages. "Grandma Wendy didn't like it either. I wonder why she had it..." Gwen replaced the book while pondering its inclusion in the library. "What about you? Find anything yet?"

"No. A few books on healing, potions, astronomy, wizarding stuff. Can we take a break yet? We must've gone through 200 books each."

"I think that sounds like a good idea. It's _so_ hot in here." She doffed her t-shirt off and tossed it on the chaise lounge, then sat on the couch to relax. Oliver took a seat next to her, but far enough away to give her some air. She reached over and held his hand, their feet on the coffee table. Eventually, she slumped over and rested her head on his shoulder. After a few moments, the house elf Pinkie brought in a couple of glasses of ice-cold lemonade. 

"Thanks, Pinkie. You're a doll," Gwen said, holding the glass to her forehead and then the back of her neck. Pinkie bobbed her head, giggled, and left.

Oliver kissed the top of Gwen's head before resting his head on it. "Can we take a lunch break now?" His stomach growled.

"All right," Gwen laughed. "I'm hungry, too." She pushed herself up from the couch, her back sticking slightly to the leather, and helped Oliver up. Gwen sauntered to the kitchen, pulling him behind her. Pinkie was polishing silver at the counter, but she hopped up when they entered the room.

"Can Pinkie get her mistress something?" she asked while smiling brightly, her eyes wide open.

"We don't want to interrupt you if you're busy, Pinkie," Gwen told her.

"It's no trouble, Mistress. The heat doesn't bother Pinkie so much as it does you. You two sit down and relax. Pinkie will fix you something nice to eat." She made them each a sandwich, and then Gwen had a bowl of fruit salad. With their bellies full, they walked lazily back to the library. 

"Maybe we should check the desk," Oliver suggested. They both took a side of the desk and riffled through drawers to no avail.

Eventually, Gwen straightened and stretched her back, which was getting sore from all the bending over. Pinkie refilled their lemonade glasses; Gwen used it mostly to cool her skin, holding the glass to her neck, forehead, and chest again. Setting the glass down, she played with the faery charm dangling between her breasts. Although she stared at a point outside, she could feel Oliver watching her.

"I wish we could find these notes already. The heat is killing me," Gwen said. Rays of light shone between her fingers, and one beam fixed on a book. The tome floated from the shelf and hovered in front of them. "_Great Expectations_? I already looked at that!" The book flipped open, and Gwen and Oliver watched the words on the pages vanish.

Once the pages were blank, new words materialized in a familiar script: Grandma Wendy's handwriting. Even a sketch of Gwen's necklace appeared. The light surrounding the book faded away as it closed, and Oliver grabbed the manuscript before it fell.

"Your necklace must have been some sort of key to the manuscript. Since she gave it to you, I wonder if she knew about this." Oliver traced the tattoo on Gwen's shoulder.

"It's possible. She had a crystal ball that she peered into now and then, but she wasn't very into Divination. I haven't an affinity for it, either." Gwen started flipping through the pages of the book, looking for the information she needed. "I think I've found something; listen. _Through my research, I have learned of a curious custom of bonding. When soul mates are together in the presence of the faery queen, she will bond them eternally..._ we already know this next bit, let's see... _The bond gets stronger over time and becomes impossible to break._" Gwen looked at Oliver and smiled. He kissed her shoulder as she continued reading. "Ah, here we go. _It is said that the bond may be masked at times to allow the bonded some privacy. Having never experienced this myself, I must rely on what I have been told. One must concentrate on the emotions of the other and imagine them as a ball, all rolled up. Then, the ball must be 'wrapped up,' as though in a tissue._ Let's try it." 

Gwen concentrated very hard on Oliver, trying to do what her grandmother said. It took several minutes, but eventually she got it. "I can't believe it!" he said. "I can't sense you at all."

"I can't feel you either. Well, now we know how to take care of that." Gwen "unwrapped the tissue" and let the bond take over, holding Oliver's hand. "Soul mates, eh?"


	12. Birthday Boy

Gwen was lounging on the patio when suddenly water rained over her from a big splash in the pool, splattering her black bikini. A red-haired head popped up onto the surface.

"Sorry, Gwen!" Fred called.

"Don't worry about it," she laughed. "It's hot and I needed something to cool me down." Gwen looked through her sunglasses at the people in and around the pool. Oliver wanted a slightly larger party than hers, so in addition to the Gryffindor Quidditch team, there were several other people from school. Well, the team minus Harry Potter, who did not reply to the invitation.

Katie Bell hung all over her boyfriend, but Gwen kept an eye on her. She got the feeling that Katie was not quite satisfied with the way things worked out. Not that it mattered; Oliver only invited her because she was on the team. He had been indifferent to her, and practically avoided her at the party.

Looking around, Gwen spotted Oliver preparing to dive into the pool. He smiled and waved before doing a cannonball, splashing more water on her. _Maybe I should move farther from the water... Nah._ However, she did decide to go in and get something to drink.

In the kitchen, her mother helped Mrs. Wood put the finishing touches on the cake.

"How's the party?" Mrs. Pennington asked.

"It's great," Gwen replied. "Oliver's having a lot of fun, but it's a little too loud for me. I think I'm going to take a little break in the library."

When she reached the library, Gwen found a book about herbal teas lying on the coffee table. Having nothing better to do, she sat in the chaise lounge and flipped through the pages about teas for energy, relaxation, sleeping, sickness, poison, and numerous other things. _Hmm, this one could come in handy..._

"What are you doing in here?" Oliver asked from the door.

"Oh, sorry, I just wanted a break from the noise," she explained.

"Well, c'mon, the party's no fun without you. Hey, what are you reading?"

"Oh, nothing, just a book I found on the coffee table." Gwen closed the book, making a mental note of the tea she read about, and replaced it on a shelf. "Let's go." Oliver felt puzzled, but he followed her out.

"You might want to watch out for Lee and the twins," Oliver warned before they stepped outside. "They've been sneaking up behind girls and setting off stink bombs."

"Ugh, thanks for the tip." Gwen grimaced and Oliver stepped out first. "Oh, I'll be out in a second; I just need to talk to Pinkie." He frowned slightly so she kissed his cheek.

Gwen found Pinkie in her small room under the stairs, taking a break. She hopped up from her bed when Gwen entered. "Can Pinkie help you, Mistress?"

"I hate to interrupt your break time, but I need a favor. I'd do it myself, but Oliver's party and all..." Pinkie watched her expectantly. "Anyway, I need you to find me some smartweed. If there's none in the house, could you run to the nearest herb market? You don't have to do it right now, just some time this afternoon."

"Certainly, Mistress. Pinkie will go right away."

"Thank you. Oh, uh, if you could just put that in my room instead of the kitchen, it would be much appreciated."

"Of course." The house elf smiled knowingly, and Gwen felt her cheeks go hot. _She couldn't know what it's for, could she? _

Finally, Gwen returned to the patio where Oliver awaited her. He sat at a table talking to a couple of guys; Gwen had seen them around, but had not really gotten to know them. She walked up behind Oliver's chair and wrapped her arms around him, sliding her arms down his bare chest, and kissed his cheek.

"Ah, there you are," Oliver said with a smile. "Gwen, this is Nathan," he gestured to a black-haired boy, "and Alex." The latter was blond; she had not been comfortable around blonds since Michael, so she moved a chair close to Oliver and held his hand in her lap.

"I'm sure we've had classes together, I'm just bad with names. You both look familiar, though."

"They're on the Quidditch team," Oliver added. "You've probably seen them at practice." _Ah, yes, the second string Beaters. _

"Gwen, you used to date Michael Havelock, right? Too bad he moved to America; he was a cool guy." Alex obviously did not know him very well. Gwen's grip on Oliver's hand tightened and she felt him tense. She could not see his face, but his expression must have changed. "Did I say something wrong?" Alex asked.

Gwen leaned closer to Oliver and rested her head on his shoulder, hiding her face. Oliver was starting to become angry, and he spoke with a tight voice. "He... hurt her."

Gwen stood up, still holding his hand, wanting to get away. She looked around and no one seemed to notice how things were progressing at the table. She tried to pull Oliver away, but he did not move. Nathan sat quietly in his chair, looking uncomfortable.

"What did he do?" Alex persisted, not heeding Oliver's tone.

Nathan hit Alex's arm. "Bloody hell! It's called tact, you git."

"Oliver, please..." Gwen pulled his hand again with the same desperation found in her voice. Oliver finally looked up to see tears welling in her eyes as horrific memories came flooding back and hopped out of his chair.

"Are you all right? C'mon, let's go."

Instead of going inside, Gwen led him around to the side of the house where a hammock had been strung up between two trees. It had been charmed so no one would fall out of it, and it automatically swayed gently once its occupants were situated. They climbed into the hammock together with Gwen's head resting on Oliver's naked chest. His left hand stroked her hair while the other rubbed her back.

"I'm so sorry," he said softly.

She inhaled deeply. "It's all right, they didn't know. Though Alex was being a bit of a git," she laughed. She cuddled up to him further, soothed by his steady heartbeat. "So you really don't want any birthday presents?"

"Yes, I'm sure. The party is enough."

"Well, I'm going to give you something anyway." Her fingers traced circles and figure eights on his chest.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"I can't tell you, it'll ruin the surprise." Gwen lifted her head to grin at him, and then swung her left knee to the other side of his body. His brows raised at the way she laid on top of him, her chest pressed against his.

"You know I don't like surprises," Oliver said quietly, watching her intently.

"Oh, I think you'll like this one." She brought her hands up to the sides of his face and leaned in to kiss him, tugging slightly on his bottom lip. His tongue slipped into her mouth as his hands slid down to her ass. She gasped when he squeezed gently, involuntarily grinding her hips against his. Now he gasped, and she knew her kisses had the desired effect. Gwen sprung from the hammock, walking away backward. "Uh-uh, you'll have to wait until later to open your present."

Oliver sat up in protest and reached for her. "Can't I just... shake the box a little more?" Gwen turned around, giggling as she retreated, and adjusted her bathing suit. A very frustrated Oliver stumbled along behind.

"There you two are, we've been looking for you. It's time for cake." George eyed them both suspiciously. "Hey, Wood, you're looking a little... flushed." The twins' faces wore matching grins and Oliver's face went blank as he caught up.

"George did you say it was time for cake?" Gwen asked sweetly. She could see her mom bringing the cake out.

The hours passed, and the partygoers slowly trickled away. Only Gwen, Oliver, and the twins were left in the house, and they were staying overnight.

"I'm gonna go put my pajamas on," Gwen said. In her room, she found a leather pouch of smartweed on the nightstand. "Thanks, Pinkie," she whispered. She changed into her pajamas, shorts and a tank top, and then went back down to the kitchen. Finding the kettle ready, she lit the flame to boil the water.

Oliver walked in the kitchen, scaring Gwen a little since she wasn't paying attention. "What are you doing?"

"Huh? Oh, I just wanted a cup of tea before bed." She pulled down a pale blue teacup and put a few smartweed leaves in it. She heard the water boiling so she carefully poured it into the cup, then left the tea to brew.

"About the hammock..." he began. "Did you mean what I think you meant?" Gwen grinned.

"What do you think I meant?" She stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his chest. Oliver licked his lips and looked to the door, obviously wondering if the twins were going to barge in on them. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, fumbling for words and blushing. "You'll just have to find out later," Gwen responded with a sly smile. He swallowed.

"Right. Well. I'm just going to... go back out there... tell the guys... time for bed..." Gwen stifled a laugh as he stumbled out of the kitchen, looking bewildered.

"I'll be up in a minute; I just need to drink this first."

The first sip of tea almost made her gag at the bitterness, but she couldn't risk not drinking. She gulped the rest quickly, thinking there must be a better method for the future.

Oliver seemed to have calmed down, no longer so jittery, so she headed upstairs to his room where he waited. Gwen pushed the door open, peering through the darkness at Oliver on the bed. She smiled at him and closed the door behind her.

Morning found Gwen lying prostrate, her right knee drawn up, and the sheets at her waist. Oliver's head rested on her back, his right arm draped over her and his hand on her breast. A thin beam of light peeked through where the curtains met. One of Oliver's legs was hooked over hers, and in his sleep, he moved his body closer.

When the sunlight persisted, Gwen opened her eyes. Oliver mumbled something and clutched her breast before his eyes fluttered open. He took a few moments to wake up and realize that she was awake, too.

"Sorry," he said, releasing his hold on her breast. "I was dreaming about you."

"Really? I couldn't tell," she laughed, recalling the images that came through the bond.

"So how are you this morning?" he asked with a kiss on her shoulder. Gwen sighed and smiled.

"Sore in places I didn't think possible, but I'll be all right." She rolled onto her back and he propped himself on one elbow, resting a hand on her belly.

"That's just because you don't use those muscles enough. The more you use them, the less they'll get sore," he grinned.

"Oh, and I suppose you're suggesting that I use them now?" Gwen asked slyly, taking note of his mood and its physical effects, though they were both still sleepy.

"I'm just trying to help you work out the tension."

"What kind of tension?" she chuckled.

"In your muscles... and whatnot..." Gwen loved to tease him, but it soon got old. His weight moved onto her, his sleep-ridden movements slow and lazy.

Fred and George had been sitting in the living room for quite some time, wondering about the house's silence. Pinkie served them breakfast, but they started to get curious about their hosts. And so they stood on the other side of Oliver's bedroom door.

"Do you think they're still asleep?" George asked his twin.

"It's possible, I suppose," Fred replied. "Gwen likes to sleep late."

"But Wood's usually up early. It's eleven o' clock."

"Should we wake them up then?" They stood quietly in the hall, listening for any sign of life on the other side. "I don't hear anything. They must be asleep."

George tried the door. "It's locked."

"Locked?" Fred said with disbelief. "It's never locked. Wait, you don't think they...?" He trailed off uncertainly.

"Think they what? Oh. Well. Now? But I don't hear anything. Should we knock?"

"Knock if you want, but I wouldn't risk it," Fred said, crossing his arms.

Oliver's head rested on Gwen's belly and her fingers ran through his short hair. It was too early to be as sweaty as you were.

"So how often do we get to do that?" he asked.

"Typical guy," she laughed. "Have I spoiled you already?" He looked up at her and grinned.

"I can't help it. Do you have any idea how hot you are, especially naked?" He kissed her belly, and she giggled at the tickling sensation left by his lips.

"You're not too bad yourself. But that's not why..."

"I know." He moved up to put his head next to hers. When Oliver looked at her, Gwen could almost see a golden light shining around him. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You can't understand how much I love you." The golden light brightened, but not blindingly so.

"I think I can," she said, smiling. "I love you, too." She stretched her neck to kiss him.

"Maybe it's the sun coming in, but I swear you're glowing," he said softly. Gwen smirked at him and rolled over to look at the clock.

"Eleven. I suppose we should get up before Fred and George get curious." She pulled the curtain open further and looked for her pajamas, but Oliver grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"Do we have to get out of bed?" He had the most pitiful look in his eyes she had ever seen.

"Yes." Gwen stuck her tongue out at him. "Besides, we'll have to get back in bed tonight." His eyebrows rose. "I'm not making any promises." She laughed when his face fell, and then hopped out of bed so he couldn't pull her back again.

Once she dressed, he reluctantly got out of bed. She handed him his boxers and he slowly put them back on. "Your hair looks like hell," he commented.

"And you've got the worst case of bed head I've ever seen," she responded. He grinned.

"Fair enough."

Gwen picked her wand up off the floor to deactivate the charms, only to hear knocking on the door. She tried to comb her hair with her fingers as Oliver opened the door to Fred and George. They took one look at his hair and her frantic movements. "Good morning, sleepyheads," they said with matching devilish smirks. Gwen did her best to put on a sophisticated air.

"What we do behind closed doors is none of your business," Oliver firmly stated.

"Behind _locked_ doors," Fred corrected.

"Really, Fred, their nocturnal activities don't concern us." George grinned toothily and pulled his twin away.

"Well, I think I need a shower after all that." Gwen headed to her room for clothes, wondering why she didn't just put them in Oliver's room.

"Can I come with?" Oliver called after her.

"I think you've had enough for now," she answered over her shoulder. He pouted disappointedly when she closed the bathroom door on him.

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Weasley," Oliver said upon entering the living room.

"Hello, Oliver, dear," she replied brightly. "I know the boys were supposed to stay for a few days, but I've recently discovered a few of their little experiments. If I've told them once, I've told them a thousand times: No enchanted objects! What with their father working in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department at the Ministry and all." She continued on like this for a few minutes, stopping periodically to yell at the twins. "Oh, and I brought you some fudge. Happy birthday." She smiled cheerfully.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

"Tell your mother I said hello." Oliver hardly had time to say he would before she shuffled the boys into the floo and Apparated home.

Oliver lay down on the couch and stretched out on his back, his hands behind his head. He was still disappointed that Gwen closed the door on him. He also realized that Mrs. Weasley just saw him in nothing but his boxers. He considered going to get dressed when his mother appeared, followed closely by Gwen's. He sat up quickly.

"Oliver, why is your hair so messed up?" Maura asked her son. "I mean, bed head is one thing, but..."

"Oh, it was hot last night, and I got really sweaty. I shouldn't have kept the curtains closed." He tried to remain calm, but Gwen could feel his nervousness while she washed her hair.

"Where's Gwen?" her mother asked.

"She's in the shower."

"All right, we're just checking up on you guys."

"Hey, I thought Fred and George were supposed to be here," Maura said.

"Mrs. Weasley came and got them about 10 minutes ago," Oliver told her. "She says hello."

"Oh, well, why don't you go get dressed?" The words were more of a command than a suggestion, and he quickly complied, eager to get away from them. They went into the kitchen as he headed upstairs.

Gwen had just stepped out of the shower when he opened the door, and she didn't even have a towel wrapped around herself yet. "Hey, what are you doing in here?" she asked, moving no faster than normal to dry off and cover herself.

"Besides enjoying the view?" He sat on the edge of the tub to watch her dress. "Our mothers are here, and I need a shower."

"Ah, so that's what you were nervous about." She pulled on her last item of clothing and bent over to towel dry her hair. "Good thing I've had my shower then." She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he turned on the water. "Maybe you should make that a cold shower, eh?"

After combing her hair, Gwen left the bathroom so Oliver could take his shower. She got half way to the stairs before she heard a yell. "Gwenneth Arwyn Pennington! Get your butt down here now!" When her mother used that tone, it was best to move quickly. She thundered down the stairs and into the kitchen, wondering what could make her so upset. _Oh. Shite. _

"Smartweed, Gwen?" She never put it away. "What are you doing with an herbal contraceptive? Did you use it? How did you find out about it?" Her eyes bored into Gwen as the questions flew, leaving her speechless. The leather pouch in her hand flapped uncontrollably with her wild hand gestures.

"A-a book... i-in the li-library." Gwen stammered, answering the last question first. Her mother could be like a human lie detector, and had probably figured out the other answer.

"Oliver James Wood!" Maura called and Gwen quietly told her that he was in the shower.

"Gwen, did you use it?" her mother asked again dangerously, drawing her daughter's eyes up from the floor. Gwen brought her head up slowly and nodded once before dropping it again. She lowered her voice to a false calm. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you. Go sit in the living room while we talk this over."

Gwen walked out of the kitchen in a daze and plopped down on a couch. She put her elbows on her knees and dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. She sat there silently until Oliver came down.

"What's the matter?" he inquired.

"They know." Those two words were enough to convey the gravity of the situation. Oliver fell onto the couch next to Gwen, and not a word was spoken between them while they awaited their judgment.

_**A/N: I'll be on vacation from July 2-11, and I won't have access to a computer at all. I won't be able to post the next chapter until after I get back, so please bear with me. Thanks!**_


	13. Punishment

**In the Kitchen**

"What are we going to do with them?" Gwen's mother asked into her coffee cup.

"I don't know, Mary," Mrs. Wood replied. "We should've seen this coming."

"I know." Mary sighed heavily. "We left them alone too often, trusted them too much. Did we really think nothing would happen?"

Maura ran her fingers through her hair. "They've been friends so long. They're always together. I don't know what we were thinking. I know we always thought it would be cute if they got together eventually, but this..."

"At least they tried to be responsible about it." Mary lightly touched the leather pouch.

"But that's no excuse. Didn't we raise them with morals?"

"Aye, we did." They both exhaled noisily. "We told them it was for people in love. People who truly care about each other."

"But they're only sixteen!" Mrs. Pennington cried. "They can't possibly know what that's like."

"Can't they?" Maura questioned, meeting Mary's eye. "That bloody bond they share..." They looked down into their mugs again.

**In the Living Room**

"How did they find out?" Oliver asked after several minutes of silence. Gwen exhaled slowly, controlling her breathing.

"I left the smartweed on the counter," she said grimly.

"The what?" Gwen shook her head and leaned against the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling.

"The contraceptive I used. I read about it in the book I had when you came into the library yesterday."

"Oh. Contraceptive? I didn't even think of that." _Well, duh._ "Do you think we made a mistake?" Gwen turned her head to look at Oliver.

"I have no regrets," she said firmly, "about last night or this morning." She couldn't help but grin, and he returned the gesture.

"Neither do I." He reached over to hold her hand.

"It's settled then. No regrets, no harm done. Yet. But what are our mothers thinking?"

"Your father's going to kill me, if mine doesn't do it first."

"What are they going to do to us?"

**In the Kitchen**

"What are we going to do with them?" Mary asked again. "Do we tell their fathers?"

"I don't think they need to die for what they've done," Mrs. Wood chuckled. "But they don't need to know that their fathers don't know."

"They can sweat over that as part of their punishment," Mary agreed. "But how do we punish this?"

"Separating them won't do any good. We can't keep them apart forever. Once they get back to school, there will be nothing we can do to keep them away from each other." Maura thought for a moment before smiling at her friend. "And it's not like they've done something we never did."

"They don't need to know that. Merlin, there's nothing we can do to stop them from doing it again. And any punishment we dole out will be completely ineffective."

"I guess there's only one thing we can do."

**In the Living Room**

Gwen and Oliver stared at the ceiling, any conversation between them faded away into silence.

"Gwen!"

"Oliver!"

They rose to meet the summons, trudging into the kitchen of doom. Oliver walked in first with Gwen close behind. Not knowing quite what to do, they stood together in front of their mothers at the table. Gwen's hands were clasped in front of her and Oliver's were shoved in his pockets. Gwen wished she could stare at the floor, but her mother's eyes held her attention, her face a mask of emotion.

"Which of you will take responsibility for your actions?" she asked dangerously.

"It was my-" Oliver began after a moment, but Gwen placed a hand on his arm to silence him.

"It was a mutual decision," she said, stiffening her posture. She was not going to let him take the blame.

"You must have done some planning." Mary dangled the leather pouch of smartweed in front of her.

"No, not really." Gwen didn't want to tell her that she thought about it before, or that Pinkie helped her.

"How did you get this?" Maura asked, her tone a little gentler. Gwen closed her mouth tightly and lifted her chin slightly. They waited patiently, looking from Gwen to Oliver. "All right, if that's how you want to be."

"We've discussed this thoroughly, and have reached a decision about your punishment," Gwen's mother continued. "First, you will be grounded until you return to school." Neither teen blinked at that, though Gwen expected it to be longer than three weeks.

"Second," Maura said, "as part of your grounding, you will not see each other until September first." Gwen's eyes widened and she half turned her head before whipping it back. She had not been away from Oliver that long since they met. Even when she stayed with her grandmother over the summer, Gwen came home almost every weekend to see him.

"Yes, I thought that might have some affect on you," her mother drawled. "We'll discuss this more at home. You're to go straight to your room. Now."

"You too, Oliver." Mrs. Wood gave her son a pointed look. Gwen and Oliver left the kitchen and headed to the fireplace, preparing to floo. Instead of going straight home, he accompanied Gwen to her house.

"Three weeks!" she exclaimed.

"Three weeks," Oliver repeated solemnly.

"That's a really long time!"

"That's a really long time."

Gwen removed her hands from the roots of her hair and turned around to face him. She put her hands on the back of his neck as his moved to her waist. Her right hand caressed the side of his face.

"I think you'll need to shave soon," she told Oliver quietly. He slowly removed her hand and lowered his head to kiss her. It started soft and sweet, a sad, goodbye kiss. Gwen tugged at his lip to open his mouth, making the kiss more passionate. He lowered his hands a couple of inches and pulled her hips against his. "Merlin, I'm going to miss that," Gwen said when they took a break for air.

"Three weeks without it..." he kissed her again, crushing her lips. Finally, she gently pushed him away.

"You'd better go. They could pop in any moment." Gwen quickly kissed him one last time before they both ran off to their rooms. _This is going to be difficult._

A few minutes after Gwen reached her room, she heard her mother arrive downstairs. She lay spread-eagled on her bed, staring at the ceiling as her walls cloud over. She knew Oliver was in his room, so she turned on her side to face his house, eventually falling asleep.

Some time later, her mother woke her for dinner.

"Gwen, your father is home. It's time for dinner," Mary said while shaking Gwen gently. Her eyes snapped open at the mention of her father, and she sat up quickly. She mentally reached out for Oliver, who seemed to be in his kitchen and felt like he was sweating bullets. _Mr. Wood must be home._ Sighing heavily, Gwen reluctantly followed her mother downstairs.

"Hi, beebs," her father said in greeting, making Gwen smile at the use of her childhood nickname. He looked up from the _Daily Prophet_ so she could kiss his cheek. He seemed to be in a cheerful mood, as though he knew nothing about her actions of the night before.

"Hello, Da. How was work?" Gwen tested the mood gingerly, taking her seat at the table, her father to her left. Her mother set the food on the table and her father passed it along to Gwen. She hoped the more food on her plate, the less she would have to talk.

"Somebody is hungry," David chuckled.

"I haven't really eaten today," Gwen replied, stuffing a forkful of green beans into her mouth.

"How was the birthday party?" he asked, just as she shoveled in a heap of mashed potatoes. She managed not to choke, darting her eyes to her mother and back to her plate.

"Oh, it was fun," Gwen said after swallowing her food. "Fred and George were setting off stink bombs. Lots of people in the pool."

"Did Oliver like his present?" She nearly did choke that time, and took a sip of milk before answering.

"He didn't want any presents."

Gwen avoided her mother's eyes throughout the meal, mostly looking down at her plate. At the end, she helped clear the table before returning to her room. Oliver seemed relieved, so she figured his father didn't know either.

Gwen spent the next seven days trying to adjust to life without Oliver. She also had to stay inside, looking out her window at the beautiful weather, though her walls remained a perpetual gray. Mid afternoon, she got an unexpected visit from her mother.

"Gwen, we need to talk."

"Sure." She shut off her stereo and sat on the edge of her bed. She had been waiting for this.

"I think you know what this is about," Mary said, taking a seat next to Gwen. She nodded once. "I'm very disappointed in you; I'm sure you know that." Gwen nodded again, keeping her eyes down. Yes, meek was best right now. "But at least you tried to be responsible about it."

"I'm not a complete idiot," Gwen mumbled, but she made no response despite Gwen's surety of being heard.

"I know we can't stop you from doing it again," her mother admitted. She was being very calm about the whole thing. "I've thought about this a lot. Maura, too. No, your father's don't know." That confirmed Gwen's suspicions.

Gwen idly swung her legs, still looking at the floor and wondering if she was supposed to say anything.

"As much as I'd like to think you won't, I know you'll do it again the first chance you get," Mary continued. _What kind of girl does she think I am? _"I know they don't have this sort of class at Hogwarts, but I'd rather do this myself anyway."

Gwen put her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, Merlin," she groaned. "I so do not want to talk about this with you."

"Well, you brought it on yourself." Her mother seemed delighted to embarrass her. Over the next hour, she explained various forms of magical contraception, telling which were most effective and which to avoid. She left Gwen absolutely mortified with a kiss good night.

**At the Wood House **

"Sean?" Maura called to her husband.

"Yes, dear?" He walked into the kitchen to see what his wife wanted.

"I think you need to have a talk with Oliver."

"About what?" he asked, and she gave him a pointed look. He groaned. "I hate those. Besides, I already talked to him about that."

"Well, you need to talk to him again. Because," she went on before he could ask why, "he's getting older."

"What am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know. Whatever you were told about... that kind of thing. Keeping your hands to yourself and whatnot."

Sean gave her an odd look, shrugged, and headed to his son's room. He knocked on the door before poking his head in.

"Oliver? We need to talk." Sean closed the door behind him. Oliver had been dreading this for the past week, sweating over it at night. He tried to remain calm.

"All right, what about?" he inquired, seemingly unruffled.

"I think you know what it's about," his father said, not quite meeting his eyes. Oliver's grip on the edge of the bed tightened. "It's been a while, but I think it's time for another father-son Talk." He exhaled slowly. "I remember how embarrassed I used to get when my father tried to talk to me. I'll make this as quick and painless as I can."

Oliver relaxed a little bit. Surely, his father would have said something by now if he knew about that night with Gwen.

"Son, I know you're getting older and more... mature." Sean cleared his throat. "The teenage years are difficult, very hormonal, and sometimes you get certain... urges... to... do certain things... to girls..." He looked around the room at everything but Oliver, whose face was beet red.

"Well, what I'm trying to say is... make sure you really love your girl before you..." he made an odd gesture with his hands, "take her to bed. Sometimes you may think you're ready, but you really have to be sure, or you'll regret it later." By now, Sean was almost as red as his son.

"Oh, uh... one more thing..." Oliver could see his father struggling for words, rubbing the back of his neck. "If you're going to... do it... do it safely. You don't want to get a girl pregnant before you're married. So either keep it in your pants, or be careful what you're doing."

"Yes, sir," Oliver finally said. They stared at the floor in silence for a few moments before Sean patted Oliver's back and left the room. Oliver heaved a great sigh of relief.

Gwen didn't see Oliver again until September first at Platform 9 3/4, and she had been going absolutely crazy. It had been the most boring three weeks of her life. Oliver was at least allowed outside in his back yard to keep in shape for Quidditch, but Gwen had to stay inside.

They stood on the Platform with their parents between them, and had yet to say anything to each other. Gwen thought it was best that their mothers think they had learned a lesson, but they both itched to touch each other. At 10:40, they said goodbye to their parents.

"Bye, Mum. Bye, Da," Gwen said, hugging them both. They each kissed her cheek.

"We'll see you at Christmas!" her father said. "Have fun and learn lots!"

Gwen and Oliver left to board the train, still quiet. "Behave!" their mothers called after them.

They quickly find an empty compartment and ducked into it. Already in their uniforms, they put their trunks away hurriedly.

"Oh, Merlin, I've missed you!" Gwen exclaimed, throwing her arms around Oliver.

"It's been hell," he agreed, falling back onto the seat. Gwen put her knees up on either side of him and straddled his lap as she kissed him roughly. His hands purposefully moved from her hips to her bottom to make her grind against him when he squeezed. "I love it when you do that," he gasped.

Gwen grinned and ground against him again, making him moan, before reattaching her lips to his. His right hand moved to her thigh, preparing to slide under her skirt. Suddenly the compartment door slid open and they whipped their heads to the side to see the intruders.

"Hey, guys," one of the twins said.

"Fred. George," Oliver said shortly. The twins sat across from them, apparently oblivious to what the young lovers were doing before they intruded.

"How was the rest of your summer?" Fred asked.

Gwen turned back to look at Oliver. "Get rid of them," she breathed in his ear, expressing her urgency through the bond.

"We've been grounded the past three weeks," Oliver told them thickly. "And we haven't been allowed to see each other."

"Oh." George seemed to wise up to the way Gwen was sitting on Oliver. "We'll just leave then. C'mon, Fred."

"Huh?" Fred grunted, looking confused. "Oh. Right. We'll just go find Lee." After what seemed like forever, Gwen reached over and locked the frosted glass door, pulling down the blinds. The train pulled out of the station, steaming toward Hogwarts.

"Now then, where were we?" she asked mischievously. "Ah, yes." She kissed Oliver again, sliding her hands down to his belt buckle.

"Merlin, I don't know what I did to you, Gwen," Oliver said, "but I am _not_ sorry for it." He shoved his tongue into her mouth.

Roughly forty-five minutes later, Gwen straightened her skirt and made sure her shirt was as neat as she could make it.

"Where did you throw my belt?" Oliver inquired, looking on the floor.

"Um... there it is." Gwen pointed to the luggage rack on the other side before climbing onto the seat to retrieve her brush from her trunk. She needed to get rid of her I-just-had-sex hair. Before she started, Oliver reached over and adjusted a piece of hair that had flipped over.

"Thanks."

Oliver opened the window to let fresh air in, and once they both looked presentable he unlocked the door.

"I hope no one heard us," Gwen said nervously.

"I don't think so. You were pretty quiet that time," Oliver replied with a wink, making her blush.

"I can't help it," she mumbled. He walked over and wrapped his left arm around her waist and ran his right hand through her hair.

"I don't mind." That sparkle shone in his eyes again.

"Oh, no you don't."

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked with feigned innocence.

"You know perfectly well what I mean. I don't want to risk it again on the train, so you'll just have to wait." He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, and sat down. "You're so cute when you do that," Gwen laughed and ruffled his hair. For a while they simply sat and stared out the window at the passing countryside with Gwen's head on Oliver's shoulder.

"What if I put a silencing charm on you until we're done?" Oliver suggested suddenly.

"No! You'll just have to wait," she admonished, trying not to smile. "Don't worry; we'll make up for lost time." They both grinned and there was a knock on the compartment door. Gwen stood and slid it open, expecting the plump witch with the cart. Instead, an unwanted visitor appeared in the doorway.

"Well, well, well. I certainly didn't expect to find you in here, Wood."

"What do you want, Flint?" Oliver demanded through clenched teeth.

"Go back to your cave and leave us alone," Gwen said. "Your father should have taken you home when he got into the castle last Halloween."

He ignored her comment, maybe because he didn't understand it. "I'm in the compartment next door and I heard some... strange noises earlier. Never thought they'd be coming from you. How much did you pay for your little whore, Wood?"

Oliver rose to his feet quickly, completely enraged, and started rolling up his sleeves. "Get out, Flint," he ordered in a dangerous tone.

"Maybe I could have a go at her later," he persisted with a grin for his cronies, exposing his nasty teeth. _There has got to be some troll blood in him._ Without warning, Oliver drew his fist back and punched Flint in the jaw. The Slytherin Quidditch Captain tried to retaliate, but Oliver blocked his swing and punched him in the mouth. Flint put a hand to his mouth, feeling his split lip. He reached for his wand, but Oliver didn't have his handy.

Gwen stepped forward and put a hand on Oliver's shoulder, pulling her necklace out from under her sweater and gripping the charm. Flint yelled a curse, but it bounced of off Oliver and returned to it caster. He yelped as boils appeared all over his face and hands, trying to cover himself with his cloak. Other students poked their heads into the corridor, but Gwen closed the door. She turned around to see Oliver pacing the tiny compartment.

"Oliver?"

"He had no right to say that about you."

"Oliver-"

"Where does he get off calling you a-"

"Oliver-"

"If that no good, troll-faced... _Slytherin_ ever comes near you again-"

"Oliver!" He stopped his pacing and looked at Gwen, still fuming. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "I know you're upset- believe me, I am too- but I think you handled that well."

"Handled it well?" Oliver said in disbelief. "Gwen, I punched him in the face!"

"I know. Thanks." She grinned and pulled him into a hug. "He deserved it. Now come on, let's eat. I'm starving."

Gwen unwrapped her turkey sandwich, but a soft knock on the glass interrupted her. Oliver tensed as she opened the door.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" the plump witch asked sweetly. Gwen smiled with relief and bought some chocolate frogs and licorice wands for after lunch.

Even after some time in peace, Oliver still felt edgy. "You're making me nervous!" Gwen told him finally. "You're so uptight."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry."

"Flint?" He nodded. Gwen slipped behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. Slowly she started kneading his tight muscles. His head fell forward as her thumbs worked the back of his neck. She felt him loosening up, so her hands slid down his back. She worked his shoulder blades with the heel of her hand, moving down his spine. He groaned in appreciation.

"That feels a lot better. Thanks."

Gwen slid her hands up and around to Oliver's chest. "You're welcome. We both needed that. Finally, I can relax!" She sat sideways on the seat to face the window and pulled him back with her so he sat between her legs. He held her hands and kissed her fingertips.

A little while later, there was another knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Gwen called cautiously.

"Fred and George."

"Come on in guys!" Gwen and Oliver both sighed, glad to see some friends.

"Rumors are flying through the train about Flint getting beat up. Have you heard?" Fred asked excitedly.

"Oh," Gwen laughed, "that was Oliver." The twins' eyes popped. "He didn't quite beat him up, just punched him in the face a couple times."

"What happened?" George questioned.

Oliver didn't seem to feel like talking, so she answered for him. "He... insulted me." She left it at that. The twins waited for more, but when they realized she was not going to continue, they changed the subject.

"Guess what we did a couple weeks ago?" Fred challenged.

"We rescued Harry Potter," George supplied before she could guess.

"His uncle had him all locked up in his room." Fred and George spent the rest of the train ride explaining every detail of their adventure in the flying Ford Anglia.

"Hey," Fred said at the end of their story. "I don't remember seeing Ron and Harry get on the train."


	14. Practice Makes Perfect

After the train pulled into the station, Gwen, Oliver, and the Weasley twins exited the train with everyone else. The four threw a cursory glance over the crowd, looking for Harry and Ron.

"I don't see them," Fred said.

"They were right behind us coming through the barrier, weren't they?" George asked his twin. They were both obviously confused.

"I'm sure we'll find them back at school," Gwen told the Weasley brothers. "Let's go grab a carriage."

The four friends found seats together at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, waiting for the first years. Across the hall, Marcus Flint glowered at Gwen. The left side of his face appeared to be slightly swollen, but the boils were gone. She couldn't help but smirk and tugged at Oliver's sleeve to draw his attention to the Slytherin table.

"I did a pretty good job, didn't I?" Oliver said with a smile.

"Thanks again." Gwen kissed his cheek.

The first years filed in, led by Professor McGonnagal, and formed a line at the front of the hall. Fred and George waved at their sister Ginny, also with flame-red hair, and gave her two thumbs up.

Gwen noticed that Professor Snape was not present at the staff table and started pondering hopeful explanations for his absence. Her heart sank when he entered the hall looking very smug. Fred and George searched up and down the table again.

"Harry and Ron," Gwen mouthed to them. They shook their heads sadly and shrugged. The sorting ended and the youngest Weasley joined the Gryffindor table, taking a seat between Fred and George. The headmaster gave his usual speech about the Forbidden Forest and introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart. The students watched as Snape left again with Dumbledore and McGonnagal. "Not good."

Many girls around Gwen swooned at Lockhart, but she wrinkled her nose. "I don't see what the big deal is," she said, earning a few glares. "He looks like a bit of an idiot to me."

"Thank you, Gwen!" Fred exclaimed.

"Finally, a smart one!" George added. "Mum has been fawning all over him."

"It's sickening, really." Gwen looked up at the wizard in aquamarine robes again, shaking her head.

After the feast, Gwen followed the other Gryffindors up to the tower, holding Oliver's hand. She heard a few whispers about the Whomping Willow during the meal, but was more concerned with eating. In the common room, it was impossible to escape the rumors.

"A flying car-"

"-Crashed into the Whomping Willow, they did-"

"-Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, they say-"

Gwen could hardly believe her ears. Where would Harry and Ron get a flying car, and why wouldn't they just take the train? Unless...

"Dad's Ford," George whispered behind her in disbelief. She turned to face him.

"What?"

"Nothing. We'll discuss later. Too many people here," Fred said. Suddenly, a loud cheer erupted with shouts of congratulations. Gwen could only assume that Harry and Ron had arrived, since she couldn't see through the crowd.

"Well, guys, I'm going to bed," Gwen announced. Oliver moved to follow, but she put a hand on his chest and chuckled. "We're back at school; you can't come with me." He opened his mouth to speak, and she interrupted him. "And I'm not coming with you. Percy _will_ notice. No, now good night." She kissed Oliver's cheek, since his mouth was still hanging open, and hugged the twins. As she started fighting her way through the crowd, they pulled Oliver aside, whispering hurriedly.

At breakfast the next morning, Gwen looked over the schedule Professor McGonnagal handed her and groaned. "Double Potions this afternoon."

"That's terrible for your first day back," Oliver sympathized. "I'm glad I didn't continue the N.E.W.T. level."

"I'll need it if I want to be a Healer," she sighed. "Looks like we've got Charms today though, just before lunch. And a free period after breakfast." She could almost see the light bulb come on over his head. "What have you got this afternoon? Oliver?" She snapped her fingers in his face, making him blink.

"Hmm? Oh..." He looked down at his schedule blankly. "Uh..." Gwen pointed to the spot on his schedule, and his cheeks turned pink. "Ancient Runes."

Suddenly they heard a shrieking voice coming from farther up the table, and Gwen recognized it as that of Mrs. Weasley. She winced sympathetically for Ron as his mother's voice filled the hall, bouncing off the stone walls and causing the plates on the tables to vibrate. Gwen and Oliver covered their ears as the Howler continued, Mrs. Weasley shrieking about Mr. Weasley facing an inquiry at work. Finally, Ron's torture ended, and the Hall resumed its former peace.

The couple finished their breakfast and decided to take a walk on the grounds in the chill September air. Gwen led Oliver to the lake and sat with him behind her, his arms wrapped around her for warmth and his chin on her right shoulder.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather be in the castle?" he whispered, his lips brushing her ear and making her shiver.

"You're suggesting your dorm, I suppose?" Gwen grinned.

"My roommates are in class," he said hopefully.

"Sorry, but I'd rather be here. You're such a hornball," she laughed. The giant squid slapped its tentacles on the lake's surface, and she knew Oliver was smiling, too. Gwen snuggled her back into his chest and he tried to move closer.

"So, what have you been doing the past three weeks?" Oliver asked.

"Not a whole lot," she replied. "I wasn't allowed to do anything but sit in my room. You?"

"I spent my time devising a better Quidditch training program. It wasn't a very effective punishment, though." He kissed her neck and she grinned, thinking of the train.

"No, it wasn't." Gwen got carried away by his lips on her skin, but then remembered her surroundings. "Wait... we have to get to class... Mmm, that feels nice... No, I mean... we have to get our stuff for Charms." She could tell he was disappointed, but he knew she was right.

He reluctantly loosened his grip on her waist and pulled his lips away, allowing her to stand. She offered him a hand, which he accepted, before leading her up to Gryffindor tower where they retrieved their school bags. When they left the portrait hole, the break had just begun. Still holding her hand, Oliver headed to class.

"Welcome to N.E.W.T. level Charms," Professor Flitwick said from the top of a stack of books. "I congratulate your endeavor to further your magical education. I must tell you that it will become more difficult from here, but I'm sure you'll do just fine." He stepped down from the books, walked to the middle of the room, and smiled. "But today, we'll review."

Charms had always been a fun class, and Gwen and Oliver left the room laughing. "I've always liked making that tea cup dance across the desk," Gwen chuckled as she slipped her wand into the inside pocket of her robes.

"Look out!" someone yelled behind them, and they turned to see Peeves the Poltergeist pelting first years with eggs.

"Let's get out of here," Oliver said and rushed Gwen off to lunch.

The lunch hour passed more quickly than Gwen would have liked, and soon she found herself trudging along to the dungeons for Potions. Oliver left her at the beginning of the passage with the promise of seeing her at dinner and left for Ancient Runes. Gwen took a deep breath and continued down the cool, damp, corridor, her exhalations misting as she neared her destination.

Her classmates were filing in the door, so she scurried in behind them, though she knew she was not late. In fact, she was nearly ten minutes early. The Hogwarts Potions Master was not on to be trifled with. She found a table with the only other Gryffindor in the class, Percy Weasley, just as Professor Snape entered in a flurry of black robes, and what little chatter there was ceased immediately. He stepped behind his desk, leaning forward, his fingers splayed out to support himself.

"This is a N.E.W.T. level class," he said, barely above a whisper. "Since I accept only those students who achieve the highest grade on the OW.L. examination, I expect all of you to keep up without any difficulty. As sixth years, you will demonstrate a higher level of maturity; no... goofing off or stupid questions," he hissed, leaving no doubt that anyone that did not meet his expectations would immediately be tossed out. "Your instructions are on the board. Begin." Snape waved his wand and a list of ingredients appeared on the board, along with directions for a Sleeping Potion. Gwen read each line carefully in order to follow them exactly.

The professor walked around the room to check on everyone, and stopped to watch Gwen work. Completely unruffled, she pretend he wasn't there, and, as usual, he made no comment. Instead, he moved on to correct a quivering Hufflepuff, cleaning out his cauldron, and taking away his points for the day.

At the end of class, Gwen poured some of her potion into a vial and took it to Snape's desk. He merely glanced from her face to the perfect potion before marking down her completion, his lip curling slightly. After cleaning up, she gladly dropped off her books in Gryffindor tower and met Oliver for dinner.

The students spent the rest of the week settling into school mode. Defense Against the Dark Arts was definitely going to be a problem this year, since Professor Lockhart came off as a complete ninny. He quizzed the class on personal facts like his favorite color and his secret ambition, which they were supposed to have picked up from his books. Most of the girls in the class did well, but Gwen failed miserably.

"Tsk tsk, Miss Pennington," Lockhart admonished, "you only managed to answer a few correctly. You'll have to pay more attention next time you read." Gwen turned to Oliver with a look of disgust, who shook his head, shrugging.

Normally she slept in on weekends, but Gwen's eyes opened automatically at 7:30. Oliver was awake, probably at the Quidditch Pitch, judging by his relative location to her. After a quick shower, she went to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Good morning, Hermione, Ron." Gwen took a seat near the second years and piled scrambled eggs on her plate. She saw them at Quidditch practices last year quite often, and they chatted a bit. Gwen noticed the lack of students at breakfast so early on a Saturday as she bit into her toast.

"Morning, Gwen," Ron said.

"Are you headed to the Pitch as well?" Hermione asked. "Ron said Oliver woke Harry at dawn this morning. I think it's ridiculous. Harry does have schoolwork to do."

"Ah, so that's his brilliant new training program," Gwen said. "Sorry, Hermione. When it comes to Quidditch, there's nothing I can do to make Oliver change his ways." She chuckled and shook her head, then finished her food. Hermione grabbed a stack of toast for Harry and the three headed to the pitch, but didn't see any of the team members.

"Where are they?" Ron asked.

Using her mental compass, Gwen turned in the direction of Oliver. "In the locker room. Let's go sit down." Hermione spotted the team coming out of the locker room and Gwen waved at Oliver.

"Aren't you finished yet?" Ron called to Harry.

"Haven't even started," Harry answered sullenly. "Wood's been teaching us new moves." All but Oliver seemed to be half-asleep, and Gwen shook her head.

She watched Harry race Fred and George, but they seemed to get distracted by something. She looked where they looked and spotted a mousy-haired boy with a camera.

"That Colin Creevey's been pestering Harry like mad," Ron said.

"He just needs a role model," Hermione countered. Apparently, Oliver didn't like the practice being photographed because he felt annoyed. George pointed down at the ground, and Oliver's annoyance transformed to outrage. Gwen felt a sharp pain in her legs when Oliver landed roughly, but it faded quickly. She could hear him shouting at Flint to clear off, waving his arms as the rest of the team landed.

"We better get down there," Gwen said, and the three observers rushed to the field. When they reached the group, Gwen stood next to Oliver but slightly behind so it didn't look like she had come to his rescue. He put a hand out to tell her to stay back. Ron asked Harry what was going on and why they weren't practicing.

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said a blond boy with a pink, pointed face.

"Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought for the team." Gwen didn't like this kid already. All seven members of the Slytherin team held shiny black brooms with _Nimbus Two Thousand and One_ written on the handle in gold. The pink-faced boy made a cruel joke about the Gryffindor brooms, and Hermione stepped forward.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in. _They_ got in on pure talent," she said, and Gwen cheered her silently.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood." Utter pandemonium broke loose at Malfoy's words. Fred and George lunged for him, but Flint got in the way. Oliver moved for Flint, but Ron pulled his wand out of his robes, which looked as though it had been repaired with Spellotape. Gwen clutched the faery charm around her neck, preparing for the worst.

Instead of hitting Draco, Ron cursed himself and flew backward, the Gryffindors gathering around him. The Slytherins howled with laughter and the mousy-haired first year tried to get in closer with his camera as Ron burped up a slug. Everyone winced in disgust, and Harry and Hermione rushed him off to Hagrid's cabin.

Oliver turned back to the Slytherins, focusing on Flint. Gwen stood next to him, still clutching her necklace. Flint straightened from his broom, wiped a tear from his eye, and slowed his guffaw to a chuckle.

"You're looking disgruntled, Wood," he braved. "What's the matter, did your whore give bad service?" He laughed again. Oliver rolled up his sleeve, but Gwen was way ahead of him. She brought her right hand up, and Flint flew into the air. Everyone gasped, but Gwen took no notice. She brought him back down quickly, stopping him inches from the ground, and then threw him up again. She twirled her finger and the Slytherin captain spun. When Gwen finally set him on the ground, he fell over.

The other Slytherins watch Gwen wide-eyed and stepped back from her glare. "Colin, I want that photo," she said calmly. Oliver took her hand and steered her to the locker room, his team applauding her.

"What was that?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"I was teaching Flint a lesson," Gwen told him, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But... _how_?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I just channeled my anger through this." Gwen held up her necklace and the twins walked over.

"Can I have a better look at that?" Fred asked, taking it in his hand. He held it to the side on its long chain while Gwen talked to Oliver.

"But, Gwen, what if Flint tries to get you in trouble?" Oliver questioned.

"Oh, he wouldn't dare," she replied slyly. "Besides, I was very careful not to cause any physical harm. I just... shook him up a bit."

"A bit girly," George muttered, "but definitely useful."

Oliver grinned devilishly. "Fine, but if he tries anything else..."

"I'll let you kick his ass," she said with a wide smile.

"That's my girl!" He leaned in to kiss her and Fred let go of the pendant.


	15. A Pleasant Surprise

For the next week or so, the members of the Slytherin Quidditch team seemed to avoid Gwen altogether, turning back the other way when they spotted her in the corridors. When they were forced to endure her presence, such as in class, they averted their eyes and kept quiet. A small smile always crept across Gwen's lips at their fear.

September rolled into October, bringing with it a cold dampness. Despite her efforts to remain warm and dry, Gwen caught a cold. She tried to ignore it, but it only worsened. Finally, Oliver dragged her to the hospital wing one evening for Madam Pomfrey's Pepperup potion.

Clearly she was not the only one to be sick. Many of the staff and students also fell ill, keeping the nurse busy. Gwen felt better immediately after taking the potion, but Oliver laughed at the steam pouring out of her ears for the next several hours.

"It looks like your head is on fire," he chuckled.

"You're lucky you're not sick," she told him. "All that practicing you do in the rain should at least give you a runny nose."

"But I have to practice in the rain," Oliver protested, as though she had just told him he wasn't allowed to. "We may have to play in the rain."

"Would you calm down? Don't get so excited," Gwen teased. "I didn't say you had to stop- like you would listen anyway- I just said it's a wonder you don't get sick."

"Oh. Well, it looks like you're done here. Let's go to dinner." They took seats in the Great Hall under a cloudy ceiling, across from Fred and George, who were looking drenched and muddy. Their red hair drooped over sullen faces.

"We've been watching the Slytherins practice," Fred admitted.

"Bad news, Wood," George said. The twins shook their heads sadly, obviously not wanting to relay the information.

Finally, Fred continued. "Those _Two Thousand Ones_ are too fast. The Slytherins were just seven greenish blurs."

"They fly like missiles," George added.

Oliver stiffened with grim determination. "Just because they're fast doesn't mean they're good. They still aren't as skilled as we are. We'll just have to train even harder."

"Harder?" the twins yelped in disbelief. They took a look at Oliver's set jaw and quickly returned to their meal. Gwen let Oliver mull it over for the rest of dinner, giving him some space until they returned to the common room.

"I hate it when you're tense like this," Gwen told Oliver as he plopped down in a chair by the fire. He shrugged her hands away when she reached out to rub his shoulders. "Let me give you a massage, you've got me all wound up again." He let her touch him the second time, allowing her to knead his shoulders until they both felt relaxed.

"You're good at that," he said, pulling her hands to his chest so her head rested next to his.

"What can I say? It benefits both of us." She kissed his cheek. "We better get started on homework. Want to start with History of Magic?"

Oliver groaned in response. "Can go where it's more quiet then? There are too many people in here."

"The library then." He meant his dorm, she knew, but he conceded to the library, following Gwen sulkily. She chose a table in the corner of the library, far from Madam Pince's desk, surrounded by bookshelves. "How's this?" she asked Oliver quietly, a small smile on her lips.

"I suppose it will be quiet enough," he muttered, digging his materials out of his bag. Gwen smiled again to herself as she retrieved her own parchment and quill, sitting opposite him at the table.

"Ugh, twelve inches of parchment on giants whose names I can't keep straight," Gwen complained. "I mean, I like history, but Binns... he just drones on and on and on."

"How big do you think I could write without making him suspicious?" Oliver asked, looking at his inadequate notes. Some words dragged out; the letters ran together as though he were falling asleep. He probably did. "Uh... can I see your notes?" Gwen pushed the requested papers across the dark wooden table with a smile. They weren't quite complete, but much more than Oliver had and easier to read.

Even with the combined effort, they both ended up two-and-a-half inches short. They were careful to use their own wording and order. Realizing that they _were_ in a library, Gwen and Oliver headed off in search of useful information.

They finished by eight thirty, somehow managing not to annoy Madam Pince with their quiet laughter. Was she easier on the older students in N.E.W.T. level classes? Gwen found that hard to imagine.

"I want to show you something tomorrow," Oliver said suddenly.

"Show me what?" Gwen raised an eyebrow, wondering what he could have to show her.

"It's a surprise."

"And I have to wait until tomorrow?"

"Yup."

"So why did you tell me about it now? You know it's going to drive me crazy."

"I know." He grinned devilishly, still walking down the corridor when Gwen stopped. She ran to catch up with him, annoyed at his amusement.

"What time tomorrow?" she asked, only a hint of a whine in her voice.

"You'll have to wait and see." He laughed and shook his head, leading her to Gryffindor Tower.

Gwen bugged Oliver for hints of the surprise all through breakfast the next morning, but he wouldn't give anything away. Gwen thought it a shame the bond didn't allow her to read his mind. He shushed her in Herbology, urging her to pay attention to Professor Sprout. They had a free period before lunch, so she tried to hang on until then.

"C'mon, Gwen," Oliver beckoned as they left Greenhouse Four. "Obviously you won't be able to wait until later, so I might as well show you now." He stuck his tongue out at her, but she ignored it and eagerly followed him to the castle.

He stopped in an empty corridor, telling her to stand aside while he paced between a tapestry and a statue. He appeared to be deep in thought. When he stopped, a door appeared where before there was nothing. "Ladies first," he said sweetly, bowing and making a sweeping gesture with his arm.

"What's in there?" Gwen asked curiously.

"Open the door and see." He gave her a reassuring smile when she turned the knob and opened the door. Upon entering the small, windowless room, she first noticed a warm fire. There were a couple of overstuffed sofas, two desks, some tables, bookcases, and a kitchenette.

"What is this place?" she asked, sinking into a couch.

"Just some little study room Fred and George told me about," he said nonchalantly, closing and locking the door. He wasn't telling her everything, but Gwen stretched out on the couch. _Why would Fred and George of all people have a secret study room?_

"Comfortable?" Oliver chuckled, sitting on the edge of the sofa.

"Yes, actually." She pulled him down on top of her, kissing him.

"Will you meet me here for dinner?" he asked.

"Why would we eat in here? And how would we get our food here without someone noticing? Why do I have to meet you? Can't we just come together after class?"

"You ask too many questions," he laughed, and stopped her before she could ask anything else. "After Transfiguration, I want you to go to your dorm and change out of your uniform, and then meet me back here. The door should be visible."

"What should I wear?" she asked after considering his instructions. He smiled.

"You look great in anything, but wear something nice."

They stayed there for lunch, making sandwiches in the kitchenette. The time crawled through Transfiguration, and Gwen became more and more anxious to leave. Professor McGonnagal had to call her attention several times. Luckily, she completed her assignment and didn't need any extra practice. She gave Oliver a quick kiss before heading to her dorm to change.

Gwen dug through the small selection of Muggle clothing in her trunk, looking for something "nice." She settled on a black skirt that hit just below the knee; a black, sleeveless, v-neck shirt; and beaded black flats. She pulled her hair into an elegant bun, swept silver eye shadow over her lids, and applied black eyeliner. In order to avoid notice, she put her robes back on over her clothes, just as her roommates entered to drop off their bags before dinner.

"Somebody's all dressed up," Angelina said. "Where are you going?"

"Dinner," Gwen answered cautiously.

"Oh, I love the shoes," Alicia said.

"You look a little over-dressed for dinner in the Great Hall," Angelina continued. "Unless that's not where you're going..." Gwen opened her mouth but closed it quickly.

"Is it a date with Oliver?" Alicia teased. Gwen's cheeks colored and she fought a grin. Katie was being oddly quiet...

"Well, I don't want to be late," Gwen said and slipped out the door. Luckily, everyone was in a rush to dinner, so no one else paid attention to her makeup or shoes. As promised, the door was in place. She checked her hair before turning the knob.

Gwen gasped. The room before her bore little resemblance to the "study room" she saw earlier. The fireplace was on the wall opposite the door instead of the one adjacent. The kitchenette, bookcases, and desks were gone, and instead there was one long, leather sofa in front of the fireplace.

"Over here." She turned her head to the right, hand still on the doorknob. Oliver stood next to a small, round table, covered with a white tablecloth and set for two. "Come in and close the door." She did as he instructed, turning the lock, and hung her robe on a coat rack that suddenly appeared.

Gwen noticed that Oliver had changed his clothes, now wearing a black crew neck sweater and khakis. A candle stood on either side of a rose on the table. She walked toward him slowly and he pulled out her chair. "What...?" She could barely form words.

"Welcome to the Room of Requirement. Basically, you think of what you want, and it appears. Compliments of Fred and George. You're absolutely stunning." He kissed her cheek after pushing in her chair and placing a cloth napkin in her lap.

"Thanks," Gwen managed. A bottle appeared in a bucket of ice and Oliver took it, popping the cork. She read the label as he poured. "Sparkling white grape juice?"

"Only the best for you." He winked and she laughed, one of his favorite sounds. Finally, he took his own seat.

"So, what's for dinner?" The smile on Gwen's lips transferred a sparkle to her eyes.

"Whatever you would like, my lady."

"You... are amazing. Truly amazing." _He is so getting some tonight._

"I try." Oliver flashed her a grin and a steak appeared in front of him with a few vegetables on the side. After a few moments of thought, Gwen decided on veal parmesan and mashed potatoes.

"So what gave you this idea?" she asked halfway through the meal.

"Well, I wanted to take you out, but we can't really leave the grounds much. There isn't really anywhere suitable in Hogsmeade so... Fred and George came to the rescue."

Once full, Gwen carried her wine glass of grape juice to the sofa, snuggling in with Oliver. "I knew there was a reason I love you." She started kissing him and got rid of her glass, imagining something else in the room. He looked over at the bed and smiled.

-------------------------------------------------

"Hurry up, we only have twenty minutes to get to the tower before curfew," Gwen said worriedly, pulling her hair back into its neat bun. She grabbed her shirt and stuffed her head into it. Oliver was still in the bed, the satin sheets at his hips- a nice addition on Gwen's part- lounging with his hands behind his head.

"Gimme a break; I'm tired." He stretched; the sheet slipped dangerously.

"Oliver." She tried to give him a stern look, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Finding his uniform (he had conjured the other clothes from the Room of Requirement), she tossed it onto the bed. "We can't be caught in the corridors after curfew."

Gwen turned to the coat rack for her robes and finally Oliver got out of bed to dress.

"You're draining my energy," he complained teasingly. "Not that I can think of a better way to lose it."

"Not even Quidditch?" He paused to ponder this question for a moment, buttoning his shirt.

"Well, that's different," he said slowly. "I don't feel so sleepy after Quidditch." Gwen chuckled at his answer. "All right, we can go now." Gwen cast one last look around the room before leaving, stepping out into a thankfully empty corridor. The door disappeared, leaving a blank stone wall.

"How does the Room of Requirement work, exactly? How do you get into it?" Gwen asked.

"You have to walk back and forth in front of the wall there three times while thinking about what you want. For example, a study room or a place for a romantic dinner," he replied with a roguish smile.

"Wattlebird," Gwen told the Fat Lady when she reached the secret entrance to Gryffindor's common room. She looked down at the young couple with a knowing smile.

"You're just in time. Two minutes to curfew," she giggled and swung open.

The next day in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Gwen tried to sift through Professor Lockhart's narcissistic babble to find the heart of the lesson. And she hadn't really found anything educational in any of his books, yet she had to buy the complete set. _How did this guy ever get hired?_ The class was supposed to be learning how to perform nonverbal spells, but he only talked about how he used them to accomplish various feats. Oliver stopped paying attention long ago and started working out a new Quidditch strategy.

"Now, now, Mr. Wood, you need not take notes on this. It's all in my books," Lockhart said roguishly. Oliver gave him a look of mild disgust that was mistaken as a sheepish smile. Class was almost over and they hadn't practiced at all.

The next few weeks slipped away until finally Halloween arrived. Gwen hadn't been watching Quidditch practices because of the rain. That and the fact that she tended to be a distraction, causing Oliver to eventually conceal the bond whenever he headed to the Pitch. Gwen sat next to Oliver at the Halloween feast, thinking back to last year. In her mind's eye, she saw Professor Quirrel bursting into the hall to announce the presence of a troll. Of course, it turned out that he had Lord Voldemort on the back of his head and let the troll in himself. Gwen felt Oliver put a hand on her leg and he shot her a questioning look.

"It's nothing; I'm fine." She gave him a reassuring smile.

At the end of the feast, everyone left the Great Hall. Gwen's full belly made her rather sleepy. When she reached the second floor, the crowd came to a stop. Beside her, Oliver was trying to look over people's heads to see what was going on. Whispers of Harry Potter began to trickle through the crowd.

"I can't see anything," Oliver said, his brow furrowed.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" someone yelled from the front. A Slytherin, by the sound of it.

"Enemies of the Heir? What is he talking about?" Now Gwen stood on the balls of her feet in attempt to see the front, but she was too far back. Filch pressed his way through the crowd and started shrieking that someone had killed his cat, Mrs. Norris. He was blaming someone, but Gwen couldn't see whom. It wasn't long before Professor Dumbledore arrived on the scene.

After a few moments, Professor Dumbledore swept through the crowd, followed by several teachers. In front of him, he carried Mrs. Norris, who looked as though she had been stuffed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were with him. Slowly the crowd moved forward, and a murmur spread.

"The Chamber of Secrets."

"The Chamber of Secrets?"

"The Chamber of Secrets!"

Oliver tugged on Gwen's hand. "Let's go see." She stood her ground, shaking her head.

"I don't want to." Her voice was shaky and she licked her lips nervously. "I don't want to. It doesn't feel right. Let's just go back to the common room. Please?" Hearing the pleading tone in her voice, Oliver automatically hugged her.

"All right," he said, stroking her hair. With an arm around her waist, he led her up the many flights of stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

The common room was full to capacity. Gwen and Oliver ended up sitting on a table in the corner of the room. The Chamber of Secrets was on everyone's lips, but no one seemed to know what it was. And "enemy of the heir," what did that mean? Speculations abound, and rumors of Slytherin's monster began to spread from the mouths of older students. Tired of the talk, Gwen went to bed and fell into an uneasy sleep, fleeing from some faceless terror in her dreams.

_She ran through silent corridors driven by fear. Something was wrong. She turned corners, passed through empty classrooms, looking for a safe haven. She could tell that safety was just ahead, almost within her grasp. Suddenly, she spotted Oliver in the middle of the hallway ahead; he beckoned to her. He held out a hand and she reached for him. She could sense her pursuer right behind her. Their fingers touched, he pulled her to him, and the terror evaporated. _

Gwen sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. _Just a dream._ Her roommates were still asleep, and after a few minutes of thought she slipped out of bed. Careful not to wake the girls, she opened the door slowly and stole down the stairs. Tip-toeing through the empty common room, she reached the boys' stairs and started climbing.

Finding the sixth years' dorm, Gwen silently opened the door and walked over to Oliver's bed. His curtains were open and he was stretched out on his back in a deep sleep. Gwen reached out a hand and touched his chest, shaking him gently. "Oliver," she whispered as she leaned closer to him. He muttered something and grabbed her wrist lightly before opening his eyes.

"Gwen, what are you doing in here?" he asked groggily, sitting up.

"I can't sleep," she told him, keeping her voice down. "Now move over and let me in; I'm freezing." She shivered and rubbed her arms to rid them of goose bumps as she climbed into the bed. After closing the curtains, she settled down under the covers with Oliver to get warm.

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked. "Hey, would you hurry up and lie still? I can't have you rubbing against me like that with the guys in the room."

"I'm trying to get comfortable and warm." She finally stopped moving, ending up on her side with Oliver's chest to her back in order for them both to fit comfortably on the twin bed. "It was just a bad dream. Much better now."

"You sure?"

"Yeah; go to sleep."


	16. The Color Purple

"C'mon, Wood, we'll be late for--" The male voice stopped abruptly as the curtain on the left side of the bed opened. Light flooded in and Gwen pulled the blankets up to shield her eyes. "--breakfast. Hey, Alex, have a look at this."

"Good morning, Gwen," a second male voice said. Oliver stirred at Gwen's back.

"Bugger off," he muttered in his thick Scottish brogue, tightening an arm around her waist.

"Good thing Percy already left," the first voice said. Gwen threw the covers off her face and tried to sit up, but Oliver's arm held her down. _Nathan, that's his name._

"So, Wood, what's this girl doing in your bed?" Alex asked curiously.

"I _was_ sleeping," she told him. "C'mon, Oliver, we have to get up." He rolled over and nearly fell off the bed, causing Gwen to laugh. She opened the curtains on the other side of the bed and swung her legs over just as the dormitory door creaked open.

"I forgot my-- Gwen!" Percy exclaimed, a shocked expression behind his horn-rim glasses. "You can't be in here! And certainly not in Oliver's bed!" The prefect badge on his chest gleamed.

"I don't recall any specific rules against it," Gwen said slyly.

"Well--" He cut his words short when he failed to summon a rule, involuntarily touching his badge.

"I was able to go up the stairs, so obviously girls are allowed in the boys' dormitories. I didn't disturb anyone. And, most importantly, nothing happened to produce any sound but a snore." The other boys hid their grins as she talked her way out of trouble.

"Fine, I'll let you off with a warning, but only because we're friends. But if I ever catch you in here after a night in that bed, I'll have to deduct points for immoral conduct and inform Professor McGonnagal," Percy said.

"Very well, then," Gwen replied. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go get dressed." She could feel Oliver's eyes on her back as she slipped out the door.

Inside the dorm room, three sets of eyes swiveled from the door to Oliver, who was now standing next to his bed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Oliver asked innocently.

"Let's have it, Wood," Nathan said.

"Out with it," Percy demanded, puffing out his chest.

"She told you what happened," Oliver answered, and began looking for clean clothes.

"Bull." Alex crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against a bedpost.

"Look, I don't know why she came in here." Oliver looked from one of them to the other, holding their eyes. "She came in around two and said she couldn't sleep, so I let her get in bed with me." He raised his voice when Percy threatened to interrupt. "As you all saw, we were both still dressed when you opened the curtain. And none of you awoke to the sound of any... disturbing noises. Just like Gwen said."

"But if you had...?" Alex began.

"Let's just say you definitely would have heard something." Oliver concealed a grin by returning to his trunk.

The hallways were abuzz with talk of the writing on the wall and the stiff body of Mrs. Norris found hanging from a sconce. None of the professors were very forthcoming, which did nothing to improve the situation. Finally, in History of Magic on Tuesday, a very persistent student drew the story of Hogwarts' founding from Professor Binns. Gwen prodded Oliver from his boredom-induced stupor to make him pay attention. No one was surprised that Slytherin didn't play nice with the other founders. Binns insisted the story of the chamber was pure myth, but no one believed him.

Oliver wanted to get in one last Quidditch practice before the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match, so the Thursday evening prior he dragged the team down to the pitch. Gwen, of course, remained in the common room to practice Transfiguration. She was supposed to be able to change the color of her hair, and she has had a slight difficulty making it purple. Hermione watched her from a nearby chair with interest.

"Ooh, so close!" she said. "Red that time. Try it again."

Gwen closed her eyes and concentrated, envisioning the color purple while she tapped her head. Cautiously, she opened one eye and looked in the mirror. "Blue!" she exclaimed. "I think I've gone through every color of the rainbow. Well, at least the color is even now. I've never really liked purple, you know. Maybe if I had something purple to look at," she said, her frustration rising.

"Hang on a tic!" Hermione yelled excitedly and dashed up the girls' stairs. Gwen glared at her blue hair in the mirror, and moments later Hermione came bounding down the stairs, a purple scarf in her hand. "Here you go, Gwen!"

"Hermione, I think I love you," Gwen laughed, taking the scarf from the second year girl and facing the mirror again. "Let's see how this works." Gripping the scarf in her left hand, she stared at it before closing her eyes, keeping the image in her mind. With her wand in her right hand, Gwen tapped her head again.

"Gwen, you did it!" Hermione shouted jubilantly, clapping her hands. Gwen quickly opened her eyes to find her hair a perfect shade of purple.

"Thanks for the help, Hermione. You really are brilliant." Gwen was trying to remember the reversal spell when her thoughts were interrupted.

_Gwen!_

She whirled around, searching for the source. That was Oliver's voice, but it sounded like it was in her head. She dropped the shield that kept her from distracting Oliver at practice, trying to discern his location. Judging by distance and direction, he was still at the pitch.

"Gwen? What's wrong?" Hermione asked nervously. Without answering, Gwen rushed out of the common room, pushing past Harry and Ron on the other side. A little further down the corridor, she slipped between Fred and George, ignoring their greeting. Or was it a question about something? She ducked behind a tapestry in the next hallway before reaching Angelina and Alicia, taking the secret passages shown to her by the twins in order to get out of the castle quickly.

Oliver was becoming increasingly panicky, and she reached the Entrance Hall as quickly as possible. Bursting through the open front doors, she set off for the Quidditch pitch at a run. Following the invisible trail, the locker room door flew open before her. She rounded the corner into the boys' section and immediately spotted Oliver, whose back was against the wall opposite her.

"Gwen!" he called out with relief. It was then that she noticed Katie standing in front of him. She didn't know how she missed her in the first place, since her hands were halfway to winding around his neck. She quickly dropped them and turned around to face Gwen.

"Oh, Gwen, I was just..."

"Stuff it, Bell," Gwen hissed. "What are you doing in here?"

"Maybe you should ask Oliver," Katie said slyly. Gwen raised an eyebrow at her audacity and drew herself up to her full height. Oliver quietly slipped out from behind Katie and moved closer to Gwen. "He said he wanted to see me after practice."

"I said I wanted to _talk_ to you after practice," Oliver objected heatedly. "_Talk._ About your performance on the pitch. I felt it was slipping today."

"Oh, is that all?" Katie said, her tone implying that there was more.

"Yes," Oliver answered tersely, his voice hardening. "If you pull a stunt like this again, you're off the team. And you better shape up before Saturday's match."

"You can leave now." Gwen jerked her head toward the door, the necklace that she pulled out from under her sweater glowing angrily. Katie must have remembered the day Gwen attacked Flint, because she picked up her broom and scampered out of the locker room. The door shut with a bang behind her.

Suddenly, Gwen rounded on Oliver. "You could have let me say something, you know!"

"What?" He seemed stunned.

Gwen sighed in frustration "It's a girl thing. She's in here making moves on _my_ boyfriend, and I hardly got to tear into her!"

"Well, I do need her intact and able to play Saturday," Oliver protested. Gwen's eyes bulged and she rubbed her temples. _Remember who you're talking to._ Breathing deeply, she tried to calm herself.

"Fine. So what happened?" She looked him straight in the eye, daring him to leave out a single detail.

"You heard most of it already. All right!" He threw his hands up defensively. "She wasn't doing well at practice, so I said I wanted to _talk_ to her afterward. Once everyone else left, she came in here. I was half dressed so I threw on my sweater and sat down on the bench. She sat too close, and every time I moved away, she moved closer. I tried talking to her about practice and she swooped in and kissed me. Needless to say, I jumped up and away from her. I tried reaching out for you."

"I heard you," Gwen interrupted.

"Heard me? But I did it mentally."

"Yes, but I heard you, in my head." Oliver furrowed his brow, but Gwen thought back to the day when they were first bonded. He was really worried about her, and she could hear his thoughts... "Anyway, what happened next?"

"She kept saying things like... she misses being with me, and she shouldn't have let you 'steal me away.' She was going to kiss me again, I think, when you showed up. Thanks, by the way."

Gwen studied him for a moment, though she already knew he wasn't lying. "It better never happen again." Oliver simply nodded, knowing she meant it for Katie, who wasn't present. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes while Gwen regained her composure.

"So," Oliver began tentatively, "why is your hair purple?"


	17. House Pride

The next day, Friday, Gwen and Oliver spent their afternoon free period in the Room of Requirement. These "free periods" really were not as "free" as they thought they would be. More often than not, they used them to work on homework. Today, Gwen was writing an essay for Potions and Oliver was trying to translate something for Ancient Runes.

"C'mon, Gwen, it's Friday," Oliver whined. "Can't we do this later?"

"You have a Quidditch match tomorrow morning," Gwen told him. "It's better to get this done now. You'll be tired tomorrow night, and you'll have less to do Sunday."

He moved from his couch to hers, setting his work on the table between the two.

"But we can do our homework after dinner tonight, in the common room." One of his hands rubbed her shoulder and she tilted her head to the side. She knew this mood well. Now that he was closer, it started to affect her.

"It's Friday afternoon, and we have the room all to ourselves," he said in her ear.

She swallowed and bit her lip. "We have an hour before dinner." A simple fact.

"That's plenty of time," Oliver said.

"For what?" Gwen answered, trying not to laugh.

"For... you know..." He reached up and removed the clip from her hair, letting it fall loose. Gwen set her work materials on the table, then turned around and straddled his lap. "Well, that didn't take much convincing."

"Actually, I had something else in mind."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're thinking a little too far ahead." She looked down as he reached for his belt buckle and gently pulled his hand away. He was definitely confused now. His condition only worsened when she leaned in and kissed him.

"Wait... so, what's going on?" he asked when she pulled her lips away. "If you're teasing, that's not very nice."

She chuckled. "If Gryffindor wins the match-"

"_When_ Gryffindor wins the match," he corrected.

"Fine. When Gryffindor wins the match against Slytherin, I will meet you in the locker room after everyone leaves..."

"And..." he supplied eagerly.

"And then you can score again." She laughed softly at how silly that sounded.

"I like the sound of that," he said, settling back into the couch. "But what about now?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to keep your trousers on. Ooh, don't make that face! Think of it as an incentive for playing your best."

"But I always play my best." His hands held her hips and she slipped her hands to the back of his neck. "I'll make sure everyone else plays his best." He licked his lips and looked up at her.

Gwen gave him a small smile and leaned in again, pressing her lips to his. His tongue slid into her mouth and he rubbed her hips. She slithered down onto her back, pulling Oliver on top of her; she wanted to see how well he could contain himself. Her knees were still on either side of him and he pushed himself against her, as expected. His hands remained on her hips, though. He started kissing her neck, and over his shoulder Gwen tried to focus on the grandfather clock in the corner as it struck half past the hour.

"Dinner," she said vaguely. Oliver made some indistinguishable questioning reply. "We have to... drop our bags off at the tower before dinner." Oliver's hands moved a little higher. "Ooh, all right, five more minutes." His mouth found hers again and she lost herself until she heard the clock strike a quarter to five.

"Damn you, Oliver," she muttered, sitting up and trying to make her hair look neat.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"We're going to be late for dinner, that's what."

"You know you can't fool me. You were enjoying yourself, and you're really not annoyed. So stop pretending." He stuck his tongue out at her.

A smile broke loose on her lips. _Ooh, damn him._ With a wave of her wand, Gwen's homework returned to her bag, and she straightened her clothes. "We have to hurry."

"A little help here?" Oliver was waving his wand about, trying to copy her trick, but only succeeded in causing red and gold sparks to fly out the end. Gwen shook her head and did it for him, lowering his wand arm. Shouldering their bags, they set off for Gryffindor tower through the secret passageways used the day before.

Gwen and Oliver walked into the Great Hall just before five o' clock and took their seats across from Fred and George.

"You two sure spend a lot of time 'studying' in the Room of Requirement," Fred said quietly.

"It's quieter in there than the common room," Oliver answered.

"If you want quiet, there's no place more quiet than the library," George challenged.

"But we can't talk in the library," Gwen said.

"Oh, so you talk, do you?" Fred raised an eyebrow. Gwen shot him a look that made him raise his hands defensively.

"So, Gwen, what made you rush out of the common room with purple hair last night?" George asked. "Ron's friend Hermione said you were practicing Transfiguration, and then you just ran out without a word."

"It was nothing," she answered, looking down at her plate again. The twins looked to Oliver, who didn't meet their gaze either.

"Riiight," Fred said.

"So, I suppose it had nothing to do with Katie's return to the common room 20 minutes after you left, mumbling something about 'ruining everything'?" George asked.

"If I thought it was necessary to share everything with you, I would," Gwen said, staring fixedly at her plate, her palms flat on the table.

The rest of the meal passed in an uneasy silence, and Gwen finished her work in the common room afterward. Later that night, she headed to bed, ignoring the stares of her roommates.

Gwen woke early Saturday morning, meaning about eight o'clock, knowing that Oliver was already up and about, probably already in his Quidditch robes. She pulled herself out of bed, showered, and dressed, wrapping a Gryffindor scarf around her neck. Reaching the Great Hall by eight forty-five, she found the whole Quidditch team at the Gryffindor table. None of them were talking, and Oliver was filled with a grim determination. He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice when she sat down next to him. _It must be the Slytherin brooms,_ she thought.

Before piling her plate with eggs, she placed a soft kiss on Oliver's cheek. He seemed to be staring at something far off and his lips moved slightly as though he were working through a decision. _Quidditch strategy._ Halfway through her breakfast, Oliver turned to Gwen.

"Oh, good morning," he said blandly.

"Good morning, love," she replied with a wide smile, kissing his cheek again. "Hey, check this out." She pointed her wand at her black school robes to Transfigure them into scarlet Quidditch robes.

"Fantastic." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, and kissed her temple. She rested her head on his shoulder and let him return to his ponderings.

More students entered the Great Hall for breakfast, whispering as they stared between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. The team in emerald green looked smug with their sleek brooms leaning against the benches next to them. At 10:15, Oliver rose from the table, the rest of the team following suit.

"I have to go," Oliver said. "We need to do some last minute preparations." He bent down and Gwen held the side of his face as he kissed her before leading his team to the pitch.

Long since finished with breakfast, Gwen slid down to talk to Hermione and Ron.

"Does Wood think they'll win today?" Ron asked. "I've seen those _Two Thousand Ones_ in action."

"Oliver is as confident in his team as ever," Gwen replied. _And he'll make sure they win._

"Gwen, I've noticed your robes," Hermione said.

"Oh, yes." Before she could explain her appearance, she was interrupted.

"Miss Pennington?" Gwen turned to see Professor McGonagall and rose from the bench. "Have you borrowed Wood's extra Quidditch robes?"

"No, Professor. Actually, I Transfigured my normal school robes." Gwen changed them back to black, and then again made them scarlet, smiling nervously.

"Excellent show of house pride, and magnificent Transfiguration work. Five points for Gryffindor." She gave Gwen a small smile. "You three had better run along if you want good seats."

"Yes, Professor." She walked away and Gwen led the two second years to the pitch, looking quite pleased with herself.

The three managed to squeeze into the front row of the Gryffindor section, then Ron and Hermione ran down to wish Harry luck before the game. They returned a few minutes later, settling in for the match. The teams came out of the locker rooms, and Gryffindor was met with loud cheers. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff wanted Slytherin beaten. Formalities required the two captains to shake hands, and Gwen rubbed her palm before letting the veil fall between her and Oliver.

The air was muggy for November, causing Gwen to loosen the scarf around her neck, and she could smell rain approaching. Madam Hooch blew the whistle and fourteen players soared upward. Tensions always ran high when Gryffindor played Slytherin, but the addition of the _Two Thousand Ones_ added to the heavy atmosphere.

It wasn't long before rain started to fall. Luckily, Oliver had trained his team in all types of weather, so this was nothing new for them. There did seem to be an unusual problem, though. One of the two Bludgers repeatedly attacked Harry, no matter how hard Fred and George tried to deflect it. Bludgers never concentrated on one person, but instead tried to strike as many people as possible. The twins were so busy protecting Harry, they couldn't watch the other Bludger, and it showed. Not to mention the speed of the new Slytherin brooms. Slytherin led sixty to zero, and Oliver called a time out at George's request. They obviously thought someone had tampered with the rogue Bludger.

Gwen watched Madam Hooch approach Oliver and ask if the Gryffindors were ready to resume play. There seemed to be some sort of disagreement, but the match continued. The rain started falling harder as Harry was left to fight the Bludger on his own. From behind, Hagrid's big pink umbrella sheltered Ron and Hermione, and Gwen managed to squeeze in with them. Harry looked like he was training for some sort of broom ballet in his efforts to dodge the Bludger, soaring, diving, and twirling. Suddenly he stopped, but it cost him dearly. The rogue Bludger slammed into his elbow, nearly knocking him off his broom. Gwen was afraid he would fall, but he soon righted himself and took off toward... Malfoy?

People gasped and yelled as the Gryffindor Seeker dove for the ground, tumbling off his broom. The crowd slowly realized that he had caught the Snitch, and didn't just faint, and a deafening roar rose to congratulate the victors. Gwen and her housemates made a mad dash for the field and crowded around Harry, lying flat on his back in the grass, eyes closed. Oliver found her quickly.

"We won," he said brightly, covered with mud.

"Hang on a minute," Gwen laughed. "How's Harry?"

"Arm's broken. But we won! Let's go."

"Oliver." Gwen gave him a flat look before pulling him toward Harry, and they both become worried when Lockhart appeared, the Seeker obviously protesting his presence. To make matters worse, Colin Creevey showed up, snapping photos of Harry. Lockhart tried to persuade Harry to let him fix his arm, but Harry only became more agitated, asking to be taken to the hospital wing.

"He should really, Professor," Oliver said, grinning now that he was reminded of the win. "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say."

"Stand back," Lockhart said. Gwen got a bad feeling in her stomach, thinking someone should fetch Madam Pomfrey, but she was caught in the throng. She gripped Oliver's arm as Harry looked away, closing his eyes tightly. The people closest gasped and Lockhart began making excuses for his blunder. Harry's arm looked like rubber.

"Now can we go?" Oliver asked in a low voice, anxious for Gwen to fulfill her end of the bargain.

"_Now_ we have to go visit Harry in the infirmary."

"But you promised-"

"I know I did. But as captain, it is your duty to look after the well being of your team members."

He threw his head back and groaned in frustration, then sighed heavily. Luckily the crowd had moved off since Ron and Hermione escorted Harry away.

The Gryffindor team got together and scrounged up sweets and pumpkin juice- mostly from Fred and George, who knew how to sneak into the kitchens. Everyone settled in around Harry's bed.

"Unbelievable flying, Harry," George said. "I've just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn't seem too happy."

Fred opened a bottle of pumpkin juice just as Madam Pomfrey stormed out of her office. "This boy needs rest, he's got thirty-three bones to re-grow! Out! OUT!"

Anxious to avoid the nurse's wrath, everyone scrambled out of the infirmary. The eight other Gryffindors headed up to the tower, but Gwen led Oliver to the Room of Requirement.

"Finally," he said. "It's starting to get painful, you know."

"Good thing I want to be a Healer then," she replied with a wink. "But you need a proper shower first."

After pacing up and down three times in careful thought, Gwen opened the door and pulled Oliver into what looked like the Quidditch locker rooms.

"A shower?" he whined. "What's the point? I'm just going to get all sweaty again. And I don't want to wait any more."

"Who said anything about waiting?"


	18. Stormy Weather

-1Leaving the Potions Master behind, Gwen set off up the passageway from the dungeons with Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater. The cold clamminess encouraged her to pull her robes tighter around herself, and she was glad to see Oliver waiting at the end of the corridor. Since Colin Creevey was discovered petrified Saturday night, everyone was reluctant to be alone. Everyone but Oliver, who stood by himself. Seeing that Gwen was safe, Percy and Penelope bid her farewell and continued on to dinner.

"Why aren't you with someone?" Gwen asked heatedly.

"No one was coming this way," Oliver responded simply.

"But-" Gwen stopped herself, crossing her arms under her breasts and groaning in frustration.

"Well? I just wanted to get down here, and everyone else was going to the tower first. Oh, c'mon, I was only thinking of you." He stepped closer and placed a hand on her arm; she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"But what if-" she began, dropping her arms.

"Hey, I made it here safe and sound, didn't I?"

"That's not the-"

"Don't you remember what that Slytherin said that night? I'm not muggleborn, and neither are you."

"Then why were you so worried about getting to me?" Gwen asked.

He held her arms, gently rubbing them. "Because you were worried about being alone," he said quietly. Gwen looked down and away, hiding a smile. "There's my girl." He started to lean in for a kiss when someone appeared behind Gwen in a swirl of black robes.

"And what might two young Gryffindors be doing at the entrance to the dungeons when they should be getting ready for dinner?" Professor Snape moved his liquid black eyes from Gwen to Oliver. _Does that man ever blink?_ "Well? Ten points from Gryffindor for dawdling," he drawled, then shooed the couple away before stalking toward the Great Hall. Gwen bit her tongue and turned to the grand staircase.

"Greasy git," Oliver muttered, and then rested a hand on her lower back to prod her forward. Gwen inhaled sharply and winced in pain; Oliver echoed. "Sorry, I forgot about those bruises. Don't look at me like that; the whole shower thing was your idea."

"Oliver! Keep it down! We _are_ in the hallway, you know," she hissed. "Anyone could hear you."

He lowered his voice. "I'm just saying there's nothing wrong with lying down on a soft surface-"

"Oliver!" She glanced around nervously.

"And my knees nearly gave out toward the end-"

"Point taken!" Gwen quickly looked around again; Oliver fought a grin. "Now, if you don't shut up, we won't be doing anything anywhere for a while." He quickly closed his mouth with a click, making her smirk with satisfaction.

"So how was Potions?" he asked in a normal tone.

"Almost pleasant," she replied. "We studied love potions and Amortentia. It has a different scent to everyone. That Penelope Clearwater said it smelled like chocolate and roses, but I think that's complete rubbish."

"What did it smell like to you then?" Oliver inquired, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Oh... fresh cut grass, dirt, sweat, fresh air, broom polish..." she leaned toward him, taking a deep breath, "...and some other unique, underlying smell that I can't quite describe."

Looking straight ahead, Gwen's lips curved into a slight smile, and Oliver grinned like a fool.

Wending their way around clumps of terrified first years, Gwen and Oliver ran into Fred and George just as they reached the seventh floor.

"Terrible about that Colin Creevey, eh?" George said, glancing about at the younger students.

"At least Harry won't be half-blind all the time anymore. That kid always had his camera in Harry's face," Fred added.

"That's awful, Fred," Gwen admonished. "The poor boy is in the hospital wing, frozen like a statue, and here you are speaking ill of him."

"What did I say?" Fred asked. "I was merely speaking the truth."

Gwen rolled her eyes and entered the common room, quickly running up to her dorm to drop off her bag.

At dinner, Professor Dumbledore warned that it was best for everyone to remain in pairs and not wander off alone. Gwen shot Oliver an "I told you so" look, but he merely shrugged innocently in response.

"Typical that the first person Slytherin's monster attacks is a Gryffindor, and the very same day Gryffindor beats Slytherin at Quidditch," said Lee Jordan, a close friend of the Weasley twins. Everyone around agreed.

"Poor Ginny," Fred said, and Gwen looked down the table to where the youngest Weasley child sat next to Percy.

"She sat next to Colin in Charms," George explained. "We tried to cheer her up."

"But Perfect Prefect Percy got mad and threatened to write Mum to tell her Ginny was having nightmares," Fred added.

"Why, what were you doing?" Oliver asked dubiously.

"Er... covering ourselves with fur and boils and jumping out from behind statues."

"And that was supposed to cheer her up?" Gwen demanded. "I swear you two make me glad I'm an only child."

"Thanks," the twins beamed. Gwen shook her head and frowned at her plate.

Over the next week, a wave of trinket trading popped up under the teachers' noses. All sorts of amulets, talismans, and other worthless items that claimed to have protective powers were being bought and sold by all sorts of gullible students.

"I just don't see the point," Gwen said when Fred, George, and Oliver stepped into an empty classroom to take a look.

"Neither do we," the twins replied. "We just want to see what these idiots are so interested in."

"Yeah, I doubt if any of this stuff has any actual power," Oliver added.

"Ooh, this is pretty." Gwen picked up a clear crystal pendant with a black leather cord. "I could put it on a silver chain and it would look a lot nicer." Still inspecting the crystal, Gwen handed a few bronze Knuts to the Hufflepuff boy, waving off his silly explanation of its magical properties.

"Why did you buy that rubbish?" Oliver asked.

"Like I said, it's pretty." She handed him the necklace and turned her back to him, holding long wavy hair off her neck.

"It would look nicer on a silver chain," Oliver said thoughtfully while tying the cord.

In the third week of December, an advertisement for a Dueling Club was discovered on the notice board in the entrance hall.

"The first meeting is tonight," Oliver said, reading over the heads of younger students. "Wanna go?"

"I'm sure it will be good for something, but..." Gwen began, idly fumbling with the necklace she received nearly a year ago.

"But what?"

"But I don't think anyone will be able to duel with whatever has petrified Colin Creevey and Filch's cat," Gwen replied, and continued on her way to Charms.

"Maybe not," Oliver admitted, "but what about... what if someone attacks you?"

"That's what this is for." Gwen pulled the charm out from under her sweater.

"That doesn't make you bloody invincible," he hissed, mindful of the other students around. She rolled her eyes and replaced the faery pendant. "It can't hurt to go tonight."

"You can go if you want, but frankly I think it's a waste of my time." He fell quiet at her decision, bristling with silent anger.

By dinner that night, Oliver seemed to have calmed down. Outwardly, anyway. Still, he was oddly quiet throughout the meal.

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Oliver asked tersely for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, I'm quite sure," Gwen replied stiffly. She shifted in the overstuffed chair, gazing into the fire in the corner of the common room.

"You have twenty minutes to change your mind. Then, I am leaving whether you accompany me or not." His eyes bored into the back of her head.

"In that case, I'm afraid you'll be going alone." She plucked at lint on her robes, avoiding his eyes. Suddenly, the veil slammed into place between them, and her eyes widened as though he had struck her. She heard heavy footsteps moving away, then the sound of the portrait hole opening and closing. When she turned around, Oliver was gone. Gwen brooded in silence for a few minutes before going upstairs to retrieve her schoolbag.

Again throwing herself into an armchair, Gwen pulled out parchment, a quill, and... She frantically searched her bag. In her argument with Oliver, she completely forgot to go to the library for the book on human Transfiguration. Looking around for someone to accompany her, she spotted only a few first years, too afraid to leave Gryffindor Tower unless necessary, and Nearly Headless Nick.

"Sir Nicholas," she called to get his attention. "Would you mind accompanying me to the library? I forgot to go after dinner."

"Certainly, Miss Pennington," he replied with a careful bow.

"Fantastic. Hang on." She grabbed her wand and bag and led the way out to the seventh floor corridor.

"I don't mean to pry..." the ghost began.

"Yes?"

"It's just that I couldn't help overhearing your lover's spat with young Mr. Wood."

"Oh, that." Gwen wrinkled her nose while he floated along beside her, patiently awaiting her elaboration. "He wanted me to go to the Dueling Club with him, but I told him I didn't think it was necessary because..." Her hand absently went to her throat, fishing out the faery pendant on its long chain. "My grandmother gave me this last New Year's Eve. Ten minutes later I found out she had died and I was talking to her ghost." A sad smile crossed her lips at the memory.

"Fascinating," he murmured after she explained the necklace's properties to him. "As for Oliver, he is reacting as would any young man in love. He fears for your safety."

"Then why-?"

"Allow me to explain," Sir Nicholas interrupted. "Most men respond to fear with anger. And your stubbornness frustrates him, which only exacerbates the situation."

Gwen pondered this revelation in silence the rest of the way to the library. Throwing Madam Pince a friendly smile, she settled at a desk in the Transfiguration section.

"I just need to check some facts for my human Transfiguration essay," Gwen whispered to Nearly Headless Nick.

"Would you like me to stay and return with you?" he replied, just as quietly.

"Yes, please. Perhaps you can give me further insight on the inner workings of the male mind."

Gwen's work took longer than expected, and Madam Pince warned her that it was getting late. It was only eight thirty, meaning she had been there about an hour. Gwen and Sir Nicholas were nearly up to the seventh floor corridor when they heard a loud crash.

"Peeves!" the Gryffindor ghost muttered. "I'm sorry, Miss Pennington, but I really should go after him. We're only one floor down, I'm sure you'll be all right."

"Yes, I'll be fine," she assured him. "Thank you."

"Any time, madam." He turned away from her before shouting, "Peeves! I'm going to see the Bloody Baron!" And with that, he zoomed toward the source of the noise.

Alone, Gwen walked up the flight of stairs, but stopped upon seeing the Fat Lady. _Maybe I should go meet Oliver,_ she thought. _It's only a few floors, right? I'll be fine._ Leaving her bag against the wall, Gwen held her wand firmly at her side and headed down to the Great Hall.

While walking down the third floor corridor, Gwen argued with herself over whether or not she should be out alone. _If Oliver is upset that I didn't go to the meeting, he definitely won't like this. Maybe I should go back. He'll never know._ Gwen was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind her. When she turned around to head back to Gryffindor Tower, she only had a split-second to register Marcus Flint's face before he shouted, "_Petrificus Totalus_!" Completely caught off guard, Gwen had no chance to protect herself. The curse stiffened her body and she fell flat on her back with a thud.

"You shouldn't have humiliated me in front of my team," Flint hissed, leaning over her.

Though her body was frozen, Gwen's mind raced, frantically trying to think of a way out. She quickly realized there was nothing she could do, and truly began to panic. Flint was still speaking above her.

"Pretty little thing, aren't you? I suppose that's why Wood keeps you around. You must be good for a shag every now and then, eh? Maybe I should drag you into this classroom and show you what shame feels like, you filthy little whore."

Gwen was screaming inside, desperately trying to reach out for Oliver, hoping he could hear her. Suddenly, Flint was struck by a red beam and thrown against the far wall, but Gwen couldn't turn or lift her head to see anything. With the Slytherin out of sight, and in pain if the groans coming from her left were any indication, she tried to calm down. She realized the curse had been lifted, and none other than Oliver helped her stand on shaky legs. His face flushed with anger, eyes darting from Gwen to Flint, who had started to move. Oliver raised his wand, but Gwen grabbed his arm.

"Oliver, no!"

"What?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Not now. Someone's bound to be on the way, and I don't want you to get in trouble. Come _on_!" She started dragging him away just before the sound of footsteps approached. They broke into a run, holding their pace until they reached the next floor.

"What were you thinking, wandering alone? And after you kept chastising me for doing that very thing!" he said harshly. "And now look what's happened!"

"Sir Nicholas went to the library with me, and I decided to go meet you when I was done. But then I thought you'd be angry so I was heading back when Flint attacked me out of nowhere," she explained quickly.

"Where was Sir Nicholas then?" he demanded angrily.

"He went after Peeves."

"And why the hell did you stop me from going after Flint? I had every right to! Instead you made me _run away_!" He took a firmer grip on her arm, practically dragging her along.

Gwen suddenly realized that the veil had been lifted, and noticed that Sir Nicholas was right. Underneath his external anger, Oliver concealed a strong sense of fear, so much Gwen could hardly believe he wasn't shaking as much as she was.

"And Flint!" his tirade continued. "What did he say? Did he hurt you? Did he _touch_ you? I'll kill him for this!"

This line of questioning caused various images to flash in Gwen's mind, both of Flint and of Michael, her last boyfriend.

"My God, Gwen!" Oliver stopped short on the sixth floor. "You're white as a sheet!" He placed his hands on either side of her face, looking into her eyes before hugging her. "I'm such an _idiot_. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been yelling at you like that. I was just so... scared," he finished, barely above a whisper.

When he finally released her, Gwen dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. "Can we talk about it in the morning? I'd like to just go to bed," she said quietly.

"Of course, of course," he answered.

On the next floor, Oliver picked up her bag. Not stopping in the common room, he took Gwen straight to his dorm. Before she could ask questions, he pulled an undershirt and a pair of pajama pants out of his trunk.

"You're sleeping in here tonight," he said in a tone that discouraged argument, handing Gwen the clothes.

"But what about Percy?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't give a damn what Percy says. Prat," he muttered. He pointed to the bed and closed the curtains around her, waiting outside until she changed. Gwen handed him her pile of neatly folded clothes, which he set on his trunk next to her school bag.

True to form, Percy waltzed into the dorm room just as she opened the curtain, wearing Oliver's pajamas.

"Gwen!" he exclaimed. "Oliver, what is she doing in here?"

"She's sleeping here," Oliver answered firmly.

"Oh, no she isn't! I warned you last time. This time I'll have to write you up," Percy said imperiously, straightening his posture.

"Don't do it, Percy," Oliver growled.

Gwen scrambled to the edge of the bed, grabbing Oliver's arm once she noticed his hand balling into a fist. "Please, Percy," she pleaded.

"And why shouldn't I?" Percy asked.

"Do you really want to find out?" Oliver answered in a dangerous tone.

"Oh, is that a threat, Wood?"

Gwen practically jumped off the bed to stand between them, her back against Oliver's chest. "Percy, I promise we'll be on our best behavior. I just need to sleep in here tonight."

"This doesn't have anything to do with Marcus Flint, does it?" Percy asked suspiciously.

"He was found in the third floor corridor, lying on the floor. He wouldn't say what happened, but his side seemed to be bruised."

"Keep your nose out of other people's business," Oliver warned.

"As House Prefect, it is my business if you were involved."

"Then let's say I wasn't. I'm going to bed." Oliver turned back to the bed, closing the curtains around it. When he climbed into bed, Gwen rested her head on his chest, listening to the rapid pounding of his beating heart. It slowed as he settled down, stroking Gwen's hair. Eventually, his heartbeat lulled her to sleep; Oliver, however, lay awake for some time.


	19. Stampede

The curtains around the bed flew open, allowing early morning light to fall on Oliver's bed.

"You two might want to get up now," a voice said. Gwen squinted up at Alex.

"Percy's just gone to take a shower, and he said Gwen better be out of here before he gets back," Nathan added.

Oliver mumbled something that sounded like "prat."

"All right, just give me a second," Gwen said, rubbing her eyes.

"I don't get it. How can you sleep in here and not get in trouble?" Alex asked.

"Probably because he's worried I'll hate him forever, and then I won't ask my dad to help him get into the Office of International Magical Cooperation after graduation," Gwen responded. "Besides, I really don't think we're doing anything wrong or 'immoral.'"

She propped herself up on one arm and stretched her back, then shivered slightly.

"What are you looking at?" Oliver asked Alex roughly, glaring at him.

"Huh? Nothing," he said quickly and turned away.

"Right. Well, we're going to breakfast, and you should get outta here," Nathan advised before closing the door behind him.

"What was that about?" Gwen asked, looking down at Oliver.

"I probably shouldn't have given you a white shirt to sleep in," he chuckled. "Cold?"

"Yes... oh!" She hopped off the bed after the sudden realization struck and put on her robes, then stuffed her clothes from yesterday into her bag. "I better go shower real quick and get dressed. Meet you in the common room in half an hour?"

"All right. And bring my pajamas back, okay?" he added, sitting up and throwing his legs over the side of the bed. Gwen rushed back to kiss his cheek before leaving.

As she reached the girls' stairs, Gwen spotted Percy coming in the portrait hole, no doubt returning from the prefects' bathroom.

Just as she promised, Gwen rejoined Oliver in the common room thirty minutes later.

"So are you going to tell me what happened with Flint last night?" Oliver asked tentatively.

Gwen took a deep breath before launching into the story, trying to tell it as quickly as possible, Oliver's ire increasing steadily. "That's it, there's only one solution left-"

"Oliver, they might expel-"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight!"

"_What?_"

"I need to keep an eye on you so I can be sure you're safe, so I'll escort you everywhere," Oliver said as though it were the simplest thing in the world.

"That's ridiculous!" she protested. "I don't need a babysitter, for heaven's sake. And you can't be with me every minute of the day."

"Of course I can." He was quite confident of his plan. "We have most of our classes together, so I can just walk with you like normal."

"And when I have potions and you have Ancient Runes?"

"Easy. I'll walk you to Potions a few minutes early, then dash up to the fourth floor for class."

"And after class? You can't expect me to hang around the dungeons with Snape for ten minutes, waiting for you."

He had to think about this for a moment. "I could make it in five."

"Oliver!"

"You could stay with Percy and Penelope until I get there," he suggested.

"No, this is nonsense. I do _not_ need a babysitter!"

"Too bad."

"_Too bad?_" Her tone made him wince, but he stood his ground.

"I've made up my mind," he said finally. "I'm the man, and it's my right to protect what's mine."

"Excuse me?" He winced again. "When you put it in those terms, you make me sound like just another piece of your property, like your broomstick or something."

"But you are mine," he said.

"That's not the point. You're such a... _Neanderthal_."

This was the part where Gwen would normally storm off to breakfast in a huff, but in Oliver's current state she knew it wouldn't do any good. Instead, she walked on silent and tight-lipped, hugging her books to her chest.

Upon reaching the Great Hall, Gwen and Oliver settled into seats across from Fred and George, both looking very excited about something.

"Hey, Wood, did you tell her what she missed at the dueling club last night?" George asked.

"We haven't gotten to it yet," Oliver said brusquely.

"So, what did I miss?" Gwen inquired, pouring honey into her porridge.

"Harry Potter's a Parslemouth!" Fred exclaimed.

Gwen paused in the act of replacing the honey, holding the jar six inches above the table. "You're joking," she said, wide-eyed.

"It's the truth," George insisted.

"Honest," Fred added.

"Harry was dueling Draco Malfoy, and Malfoy sent a snake at Harry," Oliver explained.

"Then it started going for a Hufflepuff boy."

"And Harry made these hissing noises," George continued.

"But then I... left," Oliver said, looking at Gwen. "I don't know what happened next."

"The snake backed off," George recounted. "It went all calm, watching Harry."

"The Hufflepuff chap freaked out and stormed off," Fred finished.

"Harry actually talked to the snake?" Gwen asked doubtfully. "But that's... that's the mark of a dark wizard." She glanced down the table to see Harry with Ron and Hermione. "It just doesn't make sense."

After breakfast, Gwen and Oliver walked to Transfiguration together.

"I hope you finished your essay," Gwen said. "I worked on mine last night."

"Yes, I did," he answered, setting his bag on the table.

"Essays on your desks, please," Professor McGonagall instructed. Once everyone did as requested, she called out "Accio homework!" and the papers flew across the room to stack themselves neatly on her desk.

"Today, class, we will be practicing human transfiguration," she continued. "This is serious business, and it can go horribly wrong. Although you have already written essays for me, I would like you to open your textbooks and review the instructions there. Then, you must partner up to practice."

Taking out her book, Gwen flipped open to the desired chapter and began reading. She paid close attention to the picture of a wizard turning a prince into a frog. When she finished reading, she picked up her wand and took a deep breath.

"Wood, Miss Pennington, let's start with you," Professor McGonagall suggested.

Gwen looked down at her book again, and then smiled nervously at Oliver before saying the spell to turn him into a badger.

"Excellent! Five points for Gryffindor, Miss Pennington. Now, go ahead and turn him back."

Feeling more confident, Gwen muttered the reversal spell, and Oliver once again stood before her. However, she noticed that his hair was still striped black and white. The class started to laugh.

"What?" Oliver asked.

"Uh, well..." she began.

"Settle down, class," McGonagall said over the laughter. "Almost, but not quite, Miss Pennington. You see, class, this is why I've had you study so much. That can be fixed easily, though."

She raised her wand to correct Gwen's mistake, but didn't get the chance.

"ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!" Peeves screamed from the corridor outside.

Everyone froze where they were until Professor McGonagall rushed forward and out of the room, followed by the rest of the class. The twenty students followed her down the hall and around a corner until they saw Peeves hovering over a strange scene. Sir Nicholas slowly revolved over a petrified body, next to which Harry Potter knelt.

A considerable number of students stood in front that McGonagall forced her way through, and Gwen and Oliver tried to follow in her wake.

"What's happened to Sir Nicholas?" Gwen gasped, eyes wide.

"He looks all... black and smoky," Oliver said. "Looks like he's been knocked on his back."

"What could do that to a ghost?" someone in the crowd asked. Below Sir Nicholas, there lay a young Hufflepuff boy on the stone floor, petrified. The crowd grew louder, and suddenly a loud bang sounded, causing the crowd to fall silent.

"Everyone will return to class immediately!" McGonagall ordered.

As everyone reluctantly started leaving the scene, a Hufflepuff boy ran past Gwen and yelled, "Caught in the act!" He pointed directly at Harry.

"That will do, McMillan!" McGonagall said sharply.

Gwen started following the crowd away, and heard Peeves singing from behind her.

_Oh, Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done,  
You're killing off students, you think it's good fun--_

"That's enough, Peeves!" McGonagall barked.

Back in the classroom, Oliver explained that the petrified boy was the one the snake went after at the dueling club the night before, and Gwen wondered what would happen to Harry.

After the double attack on Justin Finch-Fletchley and Sir Nicholas, the students really began to panic. Even worse, most of them blamed Harry; after all, he was found at the scene, kneeling next to Justin's petrified body. Gwen, however, thought the idea that Harry Potter was the heir of Slytherin to be utterly ridiculous.

"It just doesn't make sense," she repeated to Oliver the next day in the common room. "I mean, does that look like the face of evil to you?"

Oliver did his best to calm her, and had, of course, increased his watch over her. She hardly thought it was possible.

People skirted around Harry in the corridors, convinced he was causing the attacks; many muttered, pointed, and even hissed as he passed. The Weasley twins never failed to find humor in anything, and the current situation was no exception. They marched ahead of Harry, shouting, "Make way for the heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through!" Harry seemed to take heart in their joking.

Percy, however, did not approve. He confronted Fred and George, saying coldly, "It is not a laughing matter."

"Oh, get out of the way, Percy," Fred answered. "Harry's in a hurry."

"Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant," George added with a laugh.

Nearly the entire student body had signed up to book seats on the Hogwarts Express, clearly too frightened to remain at school over the holidays. When the morning of departure arrived, there was practically a stampede of students moving toward the horseless carriages. The short ride to the Hogwarts Express couldn't pass quickly enough.

Since so few people stayed behind, the Weasley twins among them, Gwen and Oliver shared a train compartment with Nathan and Alex. The three boys talked of Quidditch, mainly strategy, leaving Gwen nothing to contribute to the conversation. Thinking to take a nap, she laid down and rested her head on Oliver's thigh. Something flared in him briefly- anger tinged with jealousy?- and he quickly reached over to make sure her skirt was pulled down and covered her legs with her robe before continuing the chat. His motions moved her head where it shouldn't be in public, and she hoped that her cheeks weren't flushed. Oliver seemed awfully cold toward Alex as she drifted off to sleep.

When Gwen woke, some time later, Oliver sat idly stroking her hair while watching a light snow fall outside the window. Nathan and Alex chatted quietly across from them. Realizing she was awake, Oliver looked down at her, letting his hand come to rest on her shoulder. She sat up slowly to avoid a head rush, pulling her robes around herself. Oliver radiated satisfaction. Odd, that.

"Why don't you two go change out of your uniforms?" Oliver suggested to the second string Beaters. They hesitated a moment, looking from Gwen to Oliver, before fishing Muggle clothes out of their trunks and leaving the compartment. Oliver locked the door.

Eyeing him suspiciously, Gwen stood on the seat to get into her own trunk, removing a pair of jeans, a green lightweight sweater, sneakers, and a black pea coat.

"No funny business," she warned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said airily, retrieving his own jeans and black sweater.

Gwen rolled her eyes as she removed her robe, folding it neatly, and kicked off her shoes. Next she peeled off her sweater and removed her tie. She piqued Oliver's interest when she began to unbutton her shirt. He paused in the act of doffing his robe, then finished in a rush when she glanced at him. He reeked of disappointment when she tugged her jeans on, then pulled her skirt off over them. Returning to her shirt buttons, she felt that all too familiar flare, like a flash of heat.

"I said no funny business," she reminded him breathlessly.

"I didn't say anything," Oliver responded defensively.

"You didn't have to!"

"Well, we do have the compartment to ourselves..."

"No, no more train sex. It's too risky! Don't you remember what happened last time?"

His face darkened and she winced. "I remember." Okay, maybe she shouldn't have brought _that_ up. There was only one thing she could think to do now: She finished unbuttoning her shirt. Next she grabbed his tie and pulled him closer.

"Nobody's pants are coming off," she said firmly, looking him squarely in the eyes. After a moment of careful thought, he nodded reluctantly.

A knock on the door what only seemed a short time later was followed by Nathan's voice saying, "We'll be there soon."

Gwen managed to pull her lips from Oliver's long enough to say "Just a minute" and stole a few more kisses before pushing Oliver off of her. Sitting up, she pulled on her sweater and fixed her hair, then thrust Oliver's sweater at him. She barely waited for him to pull it on before opening the door.

Nathan coughed nervously. "Right. Just thought you should know." He and Alex resumed their seats, looking at nothing in particular. Oliver tugged down the back of her sweater.

The rest of the ride, about fifteen minutes, passed in near silence. Oliver sat between Gwen's legs with his back to her, gazing out the window, and she curled her fingers in his hair, massaging his head. He almost fell asleep.

As soon as the train pulled into the station, students began milling about in the corridor, trunks in tow. Once on the platform Gwen caught sight of Marcus Flint, but Oliver's murderous glare was enough to send him scurrying away. Suddenly she came upon her mother and got pulled into a warm hug. "Welcome home!"


	20. Held Captive

By the third day of vacation, it became clear to Gwen that her mother had obviously not forgotten what happened last August. No cracks in her surveillance this winter break. Her mother and Mrs. Wood never left the house unless their husbands were home. That said, it was hard for Gwen and Oliver to get some alone time. Especially since their mothers kept checking in on them.

This afternoon, the pair were in the study at Oliver's house, working on a History of Magic essay. A fireplace stood at one end of the room, a warm fire crackling within its bounds, and a heavy wooden table was set in the middle of the room. Books covered its surface, most of which sat open, along with rolls of parchment, bottles of ink and quills. Cleaning dried ink off the nib of her quill, Gwen couldn't help but think of what a wonderful invention the ball point pen is.

"Bloody ink dried again," she muttered.

"Then stop dipping your quill when you're not ready to write," Oliver replied absently, flipping pages of a book on famous witches and wizards.

"Have you found that article on Wendelin the Weird yet?" she asked. Oliver, engrossed in his work, didn't answer. In fact, Gwen didn't think he heard her at all. "Oliver?"

Nothing.

Now, she knew there were several ways to get his attention. She could repeat herself more loudly, kick him, bite down hard on her lip, or... Slipping her foot out of her shoe, she slowly brought it up between his legs, careful not to brush him until her foot was right where she wanted it. She stroked gently, and Oliver's back immediately stiffened in his seat.

"Now that I have your attention..." She moved to withdraw her foot, but he held her ankle, convincing her to continue her ministrations. Suddenly, an image bloomed in her head: Oliver sweeping everything off the table with one arm and lifting her onto it with the other. Herr mouth dropped open when she realized that that hadn't come from her imagination.

"Are you trying to catch a fly?" Oliver asked.

"I saw that," Gwen breathed.

"Saw what?"

"You sweeping everything off the table."

"What?! What do you mean you _saw_ that?" he demanded.

"I don't-"

"How's it going in here?" Mrs. Wood asked, making her way into the room.

Right on her heels, Gwen's mother added, "Hard at work, I hope." Ever so slowly, Gwen lowered her foot to the floor and slipped it back into her shoe.

"Everything is the same as it was ten minutes ago," Gwen said in a poor attempt at meekness.

"Exactly the same?" her mother asked, peering over her shoulder.

"I added another two inches to my essay," Gwen amended quickly.

"What about you, Oliver?" Mrs. Wood inquired.

"I was doing some reading," he answered.

"All right. We came to tell you to get some lunch," Mrs. Wood said.

"It's about time." A loud rumbling from her stomach punctuated Gwen's mutter. She and Oliver had been working since breakfast.

In the kitchen, Gwen fixed herself a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich on wheat with a glass of milk to wash it down. Oliver sat across from her at the table with his own sandwich.

They only got halfway through their meal before Gwen's mother walked into the kitchen.

"Your Aunt Kathy and Uncle Arthur are hosting a New Year's party," she announced.

"Go figure," Gwen mumbled around her sandwich.

"Don't talk with your mouth full. This year, it's a costume party."

"That actually sounds fun," Oliver said.

"Well, start thinking about costumes," her mother advised before leaving the room.

"I'm not wearing tights!" Oliver exclaimed quickly; Gwen nearly choked on her sandwich laughing.

Back in the study, they sat at the table to resume work, but Gwen recalled what happened just before lunch

"Oliver..." she began. "About... what I saw..."

"Oh. That." He cleared his throat. "I pictured it, aye, but I don't know how you..."

"Do you think maybe..." As she trailed off, her hand reached for her right shoulder. "I don't remember reading anything about that sort of... thought projection... in Grandma Wendy's book."

"No, but we haven't read it all. Maybe she didn't know," Oliver suggested. "Where's the book?"

"At the house," Gwen groaned. "Fat chance Mum will let us go. Not by ourselves anyway."

"Then we'll just have to take them along."

_Standing on the balcony off her bedroom, Gwen admired the moon's reflection on the bay below. She had just come upstairs from the party celebrating her father's appointment as governor. It was late, and she really should have been getting ready for bed. _

_Walking back into her room, she went to the stand mirror in the corner. She could see the maid turning down the sheets of her four-poster bed behind her. Looking at herself, Gwen adored the new dark gray silk dress. The split-front skirt revealed a lighter shade of gray beneath, which also trims the square neckline. _

_She sat at her dressing table and pulled the silver combs and pins from her hair, letting it fall in auburn waves down her back. Just as she reached for her brush, she heard a loud boom and felt the house shake. Throwing back her chair, she ran to the balcony, brush in hand. Down in the harbor, she saw a large ship with black sails, the skull-and-crossbones unfurled at the mast. _

_"Quick, Mistress!" the maid shouted. "We've got to get you hidden!" _

_"Why?" Gwen asked. _

_"Because you're the governor's daughter," she said, wide-eyed. _

_"What does that have to do with anything?" _

_"They say Captain Flint always kidnaps the governor's daughter." _

_Sounds of screaming and more canon blasts rose from the street below, and the maid grabbed Gwen's arm and dragged her from the room. She took Gwen down the back stairs and into the kitchen, but just then, two pirates came out of the pantry, barrels of wine rolling in front of them. The grubby men seemed as surprised as they, but wasted no time in seizing Gwen's arms._ Wasn't there a maid with me?

_"The Cap'n'll want to see you," one chuckled, half of his teeth missing. _

_"Aye," the other agreed, pieces of food stuck in his scraggly beard. "You'll be the Cap'n's special guest." Gwen had no choice but to go with them._ What happened to my hairbrush? _What an odd thing to think of at a time like this. _

_Once on board, Gwen could see smoke and fire rising from the city, people running aimlessly and screaming. A shady figure emerged from the ship's cabin, slowly moving into the lantern light. Shadows playing on his face only added to his sinister appearance. _

_"You can release her arms, you lazy louts," he said to the men on either side of Gwen. Addressing her, he grinned, revealing teeth crooked enough for any troll. "I am Marcus Flint, Captain of the Sea Serpent. You will be a guest on my ship for as long as I feel like keeping you." _

_"You will return me to shore at once," Gwen demanded, drawing herself up to her full height. _

_Flint laughed. _

_"Put her in my cabin," Flint said, and the two men grabbed her arms again. She started screaming and struggling, trying to kick her captors. Her efforts were redoubled when she realized that the shore bound fires were already in the distance. Her hairbrush reappeared in her hand, and she threw it at Flint. _

_Suddenly, the men holding her were struck down by beams of red light and Gwen was scooped up into the air. She sat sideways on a broom, with a strong arm wrapped around her waist. Not daring to look down, she turned her head to the left and saw Oliver, a triumphant grin on his face. She wrapped her arms around him, fingers closing on scarlet Quidditch robes. _

_"I knew you'd rescue me," she breathed, and found herself on the deck of another ship. Oliver stood in front of her, wearing a scarlet coat with gold buttons, the tops of his black leather boots turned down. His hair was longer, too, gathered at the nape of his neck by a red ribbon. _

_"I am the Dread Pirate Roberts," he announced. "Welcome to my ship." _

_Looking around, Gwen spotted two red-haired pirates, patches over opposite eyes. They lifted the patches, revealing perfectly normal eyes, and winked at her. _

_"Would you join me in my cabin for dinner?" Oliver asked, half bowing and extending a hand. _

_A smile creeping onto her face, she took his hand and accepted the invitation. _

_He lead her into the cabin and pulled a chair out for her, a seat to the right of his. Candles in the middle of the table were already lit, and lanterns on the walls added to the ambiance. The two red-haired pirates carried in dishes covered with silver domes. Oliver waved them away when they set them down. _

_Gwen looked down at her empty plate, wondering when she ate. "That was delicious," she said._ What was delicious?

_"I thought you might like it," Oliver said. "I hoped you would, anyway. Sometimes the twins cook well, others... Not so much." They both laughed. _

_He stood from the table and took her hand again, leading her to the windows at the back of the cabin. He opened them and gestured for her to look outside. Leaning on the windowsill, Gwen peered out and saw the moon's silvery reflection on the gently rolling waves. She was so busy appreciating the view that she didn't notice his hand snaking around her waist. _

_"Breathtaking," she said. _

_"Yes, I agree," he said softly, turning her face toward his. His hand cupped her face and she leaned into it, looking up at him through long lashes. He started leaning in, his hand sliding into her wavy auburn tresses as their lips made contact. Then his hands were reaching around to undo the buttons of her dress and she was pushing his coat down his arms. She was backing toward the bunk..._

In her bed, Gwen smiled in her sleep and snuggled down in the covers.

Yawning and stretching, Gwen swung her legs over the side of the bed, planting her feet on the floor. She grabbed her bath robe and put on her slippers, shuffling down the stairs to breakfast. She sat at the kitchen table and her mother put a steaming plate of eggs and toast in front of her.

"Where's Da?" she asked sleepily, reaching for her juice glass.

"He had to go into work early today," she answered, sitting down to her own plate.

"Oh. Well, Oliver and I need to go to the house today." Gwen shoveled eggs onto her toast and took a bite, trying not to seem too anxious for her answer.

"For what reason?" she asked.

Gwen unconsciously fingered her necklace with her left hand. "I need to check something in Grandma Wendy's book."

"All right. We'll take you later."

Gwen knew that was coming. They couldn't go anywhere by themselves. _They've got a good reason, though,_ she reminded herself.

After breakfast, she showered then dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and a Weird Sisters hoodie. Leaving her hair loose to air dry, she headed back to her room.

"Oliver?" Gwen pushed open her bedroom door and saw him hurriedly close her jewelry box. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he answered, a little too quickly, whirling to face her. "They sent me up to get you. Ready to go?"

"Uh... Yeah," she said slowly, eyeing him suspiciously. "Just let me get my shoes." _What did he just slip into his pocket?_

Downstairs, their mothers waited by the large fireplace in the kitchen. Mrs. Wood Apparated first, then Gwen and Oliver traveled by floo powder, and her mother Apparated behind them. Coughing from the dust, Gwen brushed her clothes off in the kitchen of her house. _Just two more months until we start Apparition lessons,_ she told herself.

"What a pleasant surprise for Pinkie," the house elf said, bobbing a curtsy in her clean blue towel worn like a toga. "Pinkie will put the kettle on."

"That would be lovely," Gwen's mother said, taking a seat at the table with Mrs. Wood.

"We'll be in the library," Gwen announced, dragging Oliver from the room.

Once in the library, Gwen pulled her necklace out and, clutching it, concentrated on the book. Great Expectations floated off the shelf toward her, glowing momentarily as it transformed into her grandmother's notes. She grabbed the book and threw herself on the couch, her back against the arm. Oliver lifted her arms and sat between her legs with his back to her, then pulled the book-- and Gwen's arms-- down in front of him. She had to look over his shoulder to turn the pages.

"There's a lot of information in here," Oliver observed. "Maybe we should take it home with us."

"No, it belongs here," Gwen answered absently, searching for the pages she needed. She skipped over the pages she had already read, pages about her necklace, pages of information on faeries themselves...

"Wait, what was that?" Oliver asked. "Go back a couple of pages. There, that one."

"_While researching faeries,_" Gwen read aloud, "_I came across one elderly couple living in the Irish country side. Being Muggles, it was difficult to get any definitive description from them, but there are a few things I could figure out._

"_Aidan and Fiona mentioned an occasional sharing of dreams. These dreams, they said, were more vivid than others and seemed to be really happening_."

"We've already figured that bit out," Oliver said.

She hushed him before continuing. "_The pair also told me that in times of great distress, they could hear each other's calls for help. For example, once, Aidan fell off a ladder and broke his leg. He was five miles away, and Fiona heard him calling for her in his head_."

"Something else we already know," Oliver interrupted. "What about that... What did you call it? Thought projection?"

"Be patient," she admonished, and nipped at his ear. She instantly regretted it. It really wasn't nice to provoke him like that when they couldn't be alone. "Sorry." For payback, he twisted around and kissed her neck. "Point taken." She involuntarily tilted her head so he could kiss her better.

"Okay, I get it. That's not fair..."

Abruptly he turned away and fixed his attention on the book. "Now you know what it's like to be teased. This looks promising." He stabbed a finger at a paragraph a few pages from where they were.

Taking that as her cue, Gwen resumed reading. "_Aidan and Fiona seemed reluctant to discuss their odd relationship, obviously fearing to come off as completely mad. I regret having to use some magical coaxing, but I was able to find out about another attribute of their faery bond. After a few cups of tea, they told me of a sort of thought projection. Not mind reading, or telepathic communication, exactly, but more like dream sharing, only while awake. They could sometimes pass images between them, but seemed to have little control over the ability_."

"Maybe we could," Oliver said. "With a little practice."

Setting the book down, Gwen crossed her arms over Oliver's chest and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I think it could come in handy, especially since our mother's won't leave us alone."

"How do you mean?" he asked. She concentrated on the image she got in the library the day before and tried to project it to Oliver. This time she added to it, imagining herself peeling off his shirt... A sudden flash of heat told her that he received it. "I see."

"That wasn't so difficult," Gwen said. "Then again, my head _is_ right next to yours. C'mon, let's go have some tea."

She practically had to push him off the couch, but, eventually she got up and put the book away, then went to the kitchen. Gwen and Oliver took seats at the table, and she poured a cup of tea.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Mrs. Wood asked.

"More or less," Oliver replied. "Enough for now."

"And have you thought any more about costumes?" Gwen's mother inquired.

"I've got an idea, but we haven't discussed anything yet," she said.

"There are those trunks of clothes in the attic, remember?" her mother reminded her.

"How could I have forgotten?" she exclaimed, jumping up from the table.

Oliver followed Gwen upstairs and on to the attic, a layer of dust over everything and cobwebs in the corners. There were boxes and trunks around the room, along with a couple of dressmakers' dummies.

"I'll start with this trunk. You take that one over there," Gwen suggested, pointing to a large trunk across the room. Opening the steamer trunk before her, Gwen immediately spotted a scarlet coat with golden buttons. "Oliver... I was thinking we could go as pirates."

"Or I could be the pirate, and you could be the governor's daughter," he said lightly.

She froze where she stood, half bent over the trunk. "How much of that did you see?"

"Oh, I saw plenty. I especially liked the ending bit."

Cheeks heating, Gwen slowly straightened, and turned to look at him. Oh, yes, she recognized that grin. The article in his hands immediately grabbed her attention: A dark gray silk dress. She could see the split front hanging open, the same lighter shade of gray beneath.

"We'll come back to how bizarre _that_ is later," she said. "As for the suggestion... I hardly think it's a good idea to advertise that sort of relationship in front of my family, especially our fathers."

The grin slid right off his face and he nearly dropped the dress. He put it back in the trunk, then closed it hurriedly. "Okay, two pirates it is then."


	21. Blue Christmas

-1Setting down her shopping bags, Gwen dusted soot off her clothes, trying to clean off the Puddlemere United sweatshirt "borrowed" from Oliver's closet the other day. "Stolen" was more like it. Borrowed without asking, and with no intention of giving it back. She and her mother had just returned from a day of Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley, and Gwen checked her purchases for damage and soot. _The floo network is definitely not the best way to travel._

Gwen glanced up at the pictures on the mantelpiece, most of them moving. One photograph in particular caught her eye: Her mother and father, almost twenty years younger, smiling and waving with the Statue of Liberty in the background. All of her now-deceased grandparents were also in the picture. Lifting it gently, she lightly ran fingertips over their faces, as though trying to refresh her memory. Her father's parents, Muggles, whose deaths in a car accident prompted their move to Scotland. Her mother's father, victim of some nameless Death Eater. And Grandma Wendy, nearly a year gone.

She felt her mother's hand on her shoulder and cleared her throat. Her hand fell away and she placed the picture frame back on the mantle. She tried to change the subject.

"Tell me again how you met Da." Gwen's voice wavered only slightly.

"He always likes to tell that story," her mother said, and Gwen could hear the smile in her voice. "Why don't you take your bags upstairs and start wrapping," she continued softly. "I'll let you know when it's time for dinner."

Nodding her head, Gwen picked up her bags and went to her room, where sunny walls turned gray. Instead of wrapping gifts, however, she retrieved a photo album from her bookcase and curled up on her bed.

She flipped through pages, looking at still pictures of the Penningtons. Her father was so accustomed to Muggle living that they still used many Muggle conveniences in their home. Gwen had never used a telephone, though. Memories of her father's parents were fuzzy.

Oliver's head appeared around the door, followed by a soft knock. "May I come in?"

He was halfway into the room by the time Gwen nodded, uselessly scrubbing at her eyes and cheeks, dampening her shirtsleeves. He climbed onto the bed next to her, silently put an arm around her, and kissed her temple. Turning his attention to the photo album, he skipped ahead to moving pictures of the two of them.

"My parents and I are staying for dinner," he said, feeling as though he were steeling himself for something. "This is a good picture." The two of them on toy brooms, age seven. "Oh, and this one," he chuckled. Oliver chasing Gwen around the playhouse, her pigtails streaming behind her, both of them laughing.

Gwen turned her head to look at him. "What is it, Oliver?" she asked in a firm tone.

"We won't be here Christmas Day," he said in a rush. "We're going to Edinburgh to visit family." He tensed, as though expecting a blow.

Gwen took a deep breath, her lips thinning. "So I won't see you on Christmas?" _Deep breaths. _It had happened before; it had just been a long time. "For Merlin's sake, Oliver, I'm not going to hit you." She rolled her eyes and stretched out on her back, settling down on her pillow. He relaxed... a little.

"We'll be here Christmas Eve," he offered, then plucked at her sweatshirt. "Nice shirt. I think I like you in my clothes."

Gwen grinned. "What are you talking about? This is mine!" She pulled the hood up and crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's mine. I can see a stain from my broom polish right... THERE!" At the last word, he began a tickle attack on her belly. Gwen shrieked and squealed, writhing under his hands.

"It's... mine!" she yelled between giggles.

"Give it back!" he demanded, trying to keep from laughing as he moved on top of her, tickling determinedly.

"Never!" she gasped defiantly.

The sound of a throat clearing came from the doorway. Fighting giggles, they both turned their heads and saw Gwen's father standing just inside the room. The sight of him was enough to quell their laughter, and Oliver fell off the bed in his rush to get off her.

Her father cleared his throat again. "It's... time for dinner." He hesitated a moment, mouth open, before shaking his head and walking away.

Gwen scrambled to the edge of the bed and looked down at Oliver. "Are you all right?" she breathed.

He sat up slowly, patting his chest, arms, and legs, watching the door, mouth agape.

"Yeah... I'm fine." He looked up at her with wonder. "I guess we had better go downstairs then."

Gwen hopped off the bed and helped him up before cautiously making their way downstairs. The four adults were talking amongst themselves, and Gwen expected someone to say something when they took their seats at the table. She waited nervously as plates of food moved around the table, and then...

"Have you two decided what you're going to dress up as for the costume party?" Mrs. Wood asked. Gwen let out a breath she did not know she was holding.

"Pirates," Oliver answered.

"We found some clothes in the attic at Grandma Wendy's house," Gwen added, recovering.

"It's your house, you know," her father said gently.

"I know," she replied hesitantly. "It's just... It's still her house. I won't be moving in until after Hogwarts and... It's still her house, is all." Oliver patted her leg comfortingly under the table while she idly pushed peas around her plate with her fork.

"Gwen wants to hear the story of how we met," her mother interjected.

"Again?" her father chuckled. "All right, I love telling this story anyway. Well, as you know, I attended the Salem Institute in Massachusetts, not Hogwarts like the rest of you. My father wanted me to be a lawyer like him, but that obviously wasn't going to happen." He smiled ruefully. "After graduation from Salem, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go into Magical Law Enforcement, Muggle Relations, or International Magical Cooperation. I finally took an internship with IMC and they sent me to the Ministry in London to 'assist my superiors and learn the ropes.' I spent most of my time Apparating back to Salem, seat of the American Ministry, to fetch a 'decent cup of coffee.'

"A couple other interns thought it necessary to show me how they do Quidditch 'across the pond,' and then took me to the pub afterwards. The place was packed, but I spotted your mother across the room with some friends. I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. We... talked for a while..." He seemed flustered for a moment. "Well, then I decided on International Magical Cooperation for sure. The rest is history." Gwen's parents smiled at each other from opposite ends of the table with sickly sweet adoration.

"What about you, Da?" Oliver asked his father, who turned to his wife.

"We went to Hogwarts together," Mr. Wood began, "but never dated. I could never work up the nerve to ask her out to lunch at Hogsmeade. Ha, a Gryffindor lacking the courage to ask out a girl," he laughed. "I was on the Quidditch team, you know, so I dated plenty of other girls, but none of them really meant anything to me." He cleared his throat when Maura raised an eyebrow. "Don't do that, son."

"I always liked your father, too," Mrs. Wood said, "but girls just didn't do the asking then. Besides, every girl adored the star Keeper. We met up again a few years after Hogwarts, when I saw him playing for Puddlemere United." She chuckled. "They lost, but I went to 'get his autograph' anyway."

"I finally had the guts to take her to dinner, then," he finished. "When she still wanted to be with me after a Bludger to the shoulder cut short my Quidditch career, I knew she was the one. I was Keeper for Scotland during two Quidditch World Cup seasons," he sighed. His wife patted his arm and kissed his cheek reassuringly. "At least in the Office of Magical Games and Sports I can still have dealings with it." He fell silent and everyone focused on the meal.

On Christmas Eve, a few days later, the Woods were over for a small party, as well as a few of Gwen's father's co-workers. The adults were all in the parlor, discussing boring work stuff and poking fun at bosses, while Gwen and Oliver watched _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ in her room. This tradition was normally observed on Christmas morning, but Oliver would be leaving for Edinburgh early in the morning. Oliver was stretched out on his back and Gwen rested her head on his shoulder.

"You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch," they both sang, loud and off-key, laughing at the horrible noise.

"Do you think we're getting too old for this?" Oliver asked.

"What?! You can never be too old for Dr. Seuss!" Gwen exclaimed. "Besides, what else could be doing?"

He glanced at the open door, pausing a moment to listen to the chatter drifting up the stairs. "Nothing, really," he grumbled.

"Here, since I won't see you tomorrow..." Grabbing her wand off the nightstand, Gwen used a nonverbal spell to summon a parcel from her closet. It floated across the room to drop into Oliver's lap.

"What is it?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Open it and find out."

He pulled off the golden ribbon and tore off the maroon paper. "A Puddlemere United Sweatshirt? But I already have one of these."

"Not anymore," Gwen laughed. "I told you I'm not giving it back."

He dug a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Here you are, then," he said, setting down the sweatshirt.

Gwen lifted the lid off the black box and found a familiar crystal. "I know you like the silly thing, so I snatched it from your jewelry box and got a proper silver chain for it." He held out his hand for the necklace and she sat up, pulling her hair out of the way.

"Thank you. It looks much nicer now." After he hooked the chain, she settled back down to use him as her pillow, and then used her wand to close the door half way. She waited a moment before telling him to close his eyes.

"Why?" Oliver asked. "I don't want to go to sleep."

"I hope not," Gwen said, making her head more comfortable on his chest and hooking one leg over his. "I think it's time to test this thought projection thing again."

Gwen pictured herself in the study at his house, where he started this whole thing at the beginning of break.

_Gwen stood in front of the table, wearing a skirt and sweater. Oliver suddenly appeared, so he must have gotten the idea. However, he was wearing his pirate costume, and their surroundings changed to the cabin of the ship from her dream. Even as she transformed her clothes to the gray silk dress, she couldn't help but think how useful this was. _

_"Ooh, a little role-play?" she teased. She projected herself wrapping arms around his neck. _

_"This is nice," he said, "but really weird." Suddenly he disappeared._

Gwen opened her eyes and propped herself up on one elbow. "Maybe this won't be as easy as I thought," she admitted.

"Sorry, I lost it." Oliver frowned. "It's weird. It's like daydreaming, but... together."

"Want to try again?"

He nodded, gently pulling her back down again. They both concentrated on the scene.

_They were back in the cabin, Gwen wearing the gray dress, and Oliver in his red coat. His hands snaked around her waist as he kissed her. She pushed his coat off his shoulders before it evaporated. He started on her buttons and her hands went to his belt buckle. Those out of the way, Gwen backed toward the bunk, drawing Oliver with her. _

_The image wavered._

"Look, they're asleep," Gwen heard her mother whisper.

It vanished. Gwen and Oliver lay still to support their belief.

"I'd almost say leave them if we didn't have to go so early tomorrow," Mrs. Wood said. She shook Oliver gently. "Oliver, wake up. C'mon, dear, we have to get going."

Feigning grogginess, Oliver sat up slowly, sliding Gwen's head off his chest. She rubbed her eyes and followed suit.

"C'mon, Oliver," Mrs. Wood repeated. "We have to be up early tomorrow."

Gwen hugged Oliver and quickly kissed his cheek, awkward with their mothers in the room. She longed to entwine her fingers in his hair and press her lips to his, but with their mothers watching...

"We'll be back late tomorrow, so I'll see you the day after," Oliver said, emanating an unspoken promise to pick up where they left off. Gwen watched him leave, then got ready for bed, sounds of the party below slowly dying down.


	22. Come Away With Me

Gwen dragged herself out of bed at ten o' clock on Christmas morning, opposed to her usual six, trudged down the stairs, and plopped down in front of the tree. Her parents came out of the kitchen, each holding a steaming cup of coffee. Her mother also carried a mug of hot chocolate for Gwen, with plenty of marshmallows.

"Merry Christmas!" her father exclaimed.

"Morning," she replied sleepily, holding the mug close in front of her with both hands. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, savoring the rich chocolaty aroma.

"Are you ready to open presents?" her mother asked.

Gwen shrugged and sipped her drink. Her father's smile slipped a little as he tugged a Santa hat down onto his head. "Is something wrong?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Just tired."

Obviously unconvinced, he hesitated before choosing a present from the pile and handing it to her. Gwen set her mug on the floor and accepted the package, raising an eyebrow at the sound it made. A sound like...

"Legos?" Holding a ripped piece of paper in one hand, Gwen stared at the box. "Da..."

"You're thinking you're too old for building blocks," he guessed. "I thought, since you have nothing better to do today, we might get back to our roots."

Gwen laughed softly and shook her head. "Sure thing, Da."

Mary reached for a gift, but her husband shooed her hand away.

"You know the tradition, Mum. Whoever wears the Santa hat passes out gifts, and only the wearer," Gwen admonished. Her mother sighed and gazed longingly at the small box she had tried to pick up. Deliberately avoiding it, David handed her a mid-size box, which she quickly unwrapped.

"A... toaster?" She looked at her husband questioningly. "What does it do?"

"It toasts bread," he laughed.

"Ooh, I've heard about those! I even saw one in Muggle Studies once, but didn't get to see it work," Gwen said excitedly.

"Sometimes I forget what an advantage I have over you two," her father sighed. "You can try it out when we finish up."

Gwen continued to steal glances at the toaster box while her father opened a sweater. "Is it really better than toasting it the normal way?" she asked.

"I don't know about better," he answered, "but I'm pretty sure there's less chance of burning the bread."

Her father handed her another box, which contained a few books to add to her collection: Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them, Useful Herbs You Can Grow in Your Garden, and The Beginner's Guide to Magical First-Aid.

"We thought that last one would be helpful, since you're so interested in Healing," her mother said.

"Thanks, it's great," Gwen told them. "I'm sure it'll come in handy, and I know just the guinea pig..."

The pile of presents under the tree steadily diminished as the number of gifts next to Gwen increased. There were half-open boxes of clothes ("Santa Claus" brought her a really nice new hooded dress cloak, lined with gray satin and trimmed with thread-of-silver stars), more books, a Quick Quotes Quill, a Remembrall, and a few pieces of jewelry. Last, but not least, her father handed Maura the mysterious little box, which she eagerly unwrapped, tossing scraps of paper carelessly to the floor. She lifted the lid slowly, and her mouth dropped open in wordless awe.

"Oh, David... I... I don't know what to say," she managed at last.

"Then don't say anything," he answered, leaning in to kiss her.

Gwen craned her neck, swaying left to right in an attempt to see the contents of the box. David took the box and removed a three-stone pendant on a gold chain, consisting of three sizable diamonds. Gwen's own jaw dropped in astonishment, and her father moved behind her mother to fasten the pendant around her neck. She instinctively put a hand over it, giggling like a school girl.

While she was temporarily incapacitated, Gwen's father waved his wand to clear up the paper, and Gwen took her presents up to her room. When she returned to the living room, her mother was still tittering occasionally with a far away look in her eyes.

"Ready to break out these Legos?" her dad asked brightly.

"Actually, I'd like to play with the toaster," Gwen replied eagerly.

"All right," he laughed. "What about you, Mary?" _Still_ overwhelmed, she made no response.

"Mum?" Then more loudly, "Mum?"

She stirred, and then blinked before looking at them. "What's that?"

"Do you want to check out the toaster?" Gwen asked.

"Oh... Sure." Her hand fell from her throat.

Opening the box and removing the Muggle apparatus, David carried it into the kitchen and plugged it into a seldom-used outlet.

"I want to do it!" Gwen exclaimed as he cut a slice of bread from the loaf in the bread box. He smiled and handed it to her, then leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. She studied the appliance, looking from the slots on the top to the knob and lever on the side. "Uh... How does it work?"

"You figure it out, Miss Muggle Studies," he answered.

"All right then, I will. Okay... Well, the bread _obviously_ goes into the top... And then it looks like you turn the knobby thingy here, right?" He raised an eyebrow at her, causing her to glare at him. "Fine. Now I'll press this thingy here..."

Gwen waited a few seconds after pressing the lever, and nothing happened. She looked at her father, who shrugged innocently. Resuming her watch on the toaster, she began to drum her fingers on the counter. Impatience and curiosity got the best of her, and she leaned over the toaster, looking down the slot.

"Hey, those wires are all red in there..." Suddenly, the bread popped up, and she jumped back with a yell. Her dad laughed as he removed the toasted bread from the machine with his fingertips and held it up. Completely black.

"Do you want butter or jam with that?"

"Well, it isn't very user-friendly," Gwen said defensively.

"You should have paid attention to the dial on the side," he teased.

She glared at him again, spending the better part of the next two hours experimenting with the toaster, her squeals becoming less with each cycle.

Gwen's eyes popped open suddenly the following morning and a smile curved her lips. Quickly, she shut her eyes again as she heard the doorknob turn. Unable to control her smile, she pulled the covers up to her eyes, pretending to hide her face from the light in the doorway.

"Nice try, but I know you're awake." Gwen could hear Oliver's own smile reflected in his voice. With an exaggerated sigh, she threw back the covers, beaming at him.

"It was worth a shot," she laughed, and he sat on the edge of the bed. Gwen reached her arms out to him and he leaned in for a hug and a kiss.

"How was yesterday?" he asked, brushing one of many stray hairs out of her face.

"We got a toaster, which is exciting, but I'd rather have had you."

He gave her one of those grins that always meant he was planning something. "So, it looks like you got some new Legos for Christmas."

Throwing him a sideling glance, she rolled onto her side to look at the newly built Lego house in the corner. "Yeah, Da wanted to 'get back to our roots.'" She finally pulled herself into a sitting position, stretching her back in the process.

"Your parents seemed rather... affectionate when I came in," he said.

"Oh. That. Mum got a diamond necklace for Christmas."

"Do girls always go nuts over diamonds like that?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said lightly.

Gwen's father appeared in the doorway and Oliver quickly stood.

"I have to go to work. I just wanted to say 'bye," he said.

"Work? I thought you had the day off," Gwen responded.

"No; they need me in the office. Fudge has a meeting with the Italian Minister tomorrow and we have to prepare."

Gwen hugged her father before he left, then went to the bathroom to freshen up.

"I don't know what it is, but your father scares the hell out of me," Oliver admitted.

"I think it's some subconscious thing because you're sleeping with his daughter," Gwen said with a grin.

"Sneak out with me tonight."

"What?"

"Sneak you with me tonight. Meet me at _your_ house. I want to give you something."

She glanced down with a bemused look. "I'm sure you do."

"No, that's not what I meant. Well, okay, the thought did cross my mind, but that wasn't what I meant."

"Oh? Then what did you mean?"

He gave her that grin again. "It's a surprise."

Gwen pulled him into the bathroom and closed the door, wrapping her arms around him. Drawing him close, she hopped up onto the counter.

"I'm not going to tell you, if that's what you're after," he said, snaking his arms around her waist.

"You're sure I can't loosen your lips?" she asked softly before leaning in to kiss him. Her legs hooked around him, pulling his hips closer. He returned the kiss almost roughly.

"You know when you do that I don't much feel like _talking_," he breathed.

"C'mon, tell me," she pleaded, tugging at his lower lip.

"Never."

"Isn't there anything I can do to convince you to tell me?" she asked, lightly caressing his jaw and sliding her fingers into his hair. He made a low sound in his throat, almost like a growl.

"You'll find out if you sneak out with me tonight." His hands gripped the backs of her legs, pulling her to the edge of the counter. "Why can't you wear a nightgown to bed?" His lips dragged across her neck.

"My father may have left, but my mother _is_ still home," she reminded him.

"So? She already knows what we do."

"You're obviously not getting enough blood to your brain right now."

"Hey, you're the one who pulled me into the bathroom." Still gripping her thighs, he ground against her and groaned. Gwen bit her lip.

"The _point_ is," she breathed, "even if we were married, I still couldn't have sex with you with my mother in the house. Even if I really, _really_ wanted to..."

"So what am I supposed to do with this?" Another grind, groan, gasp.

"Did she see you come in?"

"I don't think--" A knock at the door silenced him.

"Gwen? Are you all right in there?" Her heart stopped. Quickly her hand covered Oliver's mouth.

"Fine, Mum." She was surprised by the steadiness of her voice. "I'm just about to get in the shower."

"Wasn't Oliver here?" Suddenly, you saw a way out. Or a possibly fatal misstep.

"He left. To go flying. So I could take a shower."

"Flying?"

"Yeah. He said something about... playing Quidditch when sunlight is reflecting off the snow." She waited with bated breath, heart racing.

"He sure is dedicated. Well, when you're done, I have pancakes downstairs."

"Sounds great, Mum. I'll be down in a bit." Gwen and Oliver listened intently as her footsteps retreated down the hall, then heaved great sighs of relief, foreheads falling together.

"So... the shower, eh?" Oliver asked with interest.

She grinned. "Yes, but you'll have to be quiet."

"Me? You're the loud one."

"Is your wand handy?"

"Well, your mother kind of freaked me out, but just give me a minute and--" He stopped when she frantically waved her hand. "Oh, you meant that literally? Yeah, it's in my pocket, why?"

"Can you silence me?"

"Aw, but I like the noise."

"Do you want my mother to hear and catch us?"

"Oh, right. It's that whole lack of blood to the brain thing."

After a very steamy shower, Gwen and Oliver toweled each other off.

"You know, I feel a lot dirtier coming out of that shower than I did going in," she said.

"Maybe we should have another, then," Oliver said hopefully.

"Nice try, but that one was quite long enough. Hey, I think those are dry now. You're not even pretending to use the towel anymore." He grinned sheepishly and removed his hands from her chest, reluctantly beginning to dress himself. Gwen bent over and threw her hair forward to towel dry it. "I don't need any help _there_ just now, either, thank you." She rolled her eyes when he feigned a pout.

"I can see I'm not going to win this time, even if you do feel like you're ready for another round," he complained. "It's just that it's been so long, since... the last Quidditch match."

"You haven't died for want of it, have you?" she asked.

"Well, no, but--" he began earnestly.

"_Well_, you'll probably have to get used to it. When we get back to school, with students being petrified left and right, it's not likely we'll be doing much sneaking off to broom cupboards."

"So..."

"So we'll have to make the most of our Christmas break," she said nonchalantly, suppressing a wicked grin.

"Then tonight can we..."

"Like rabbits," she laughed. "Now then, there's the matter of your returning from flight practice with wet hair."

"I got sweaty and had a shower. Ha, not a complete lie." He sighed wistfully as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"When we get downstairs, I'll have to pretend to let you in."

Gwen listened carefully before cracking the bathroom door and peeking out.

"Any sign of her?" Oliver whispered.

"Shhh!... No." Opening the door, she motioned for Oliver to follow her silently down the stairs, stopping at the top to listen for her mother. The sound of running water floated from the kitchen. Once at the bottom, Gwen went to the front door and opened it. Unable to feign a believable greeting, she said nothing and closed the door. _Hopefully, Mum wouldn't have hard me say anything anyway._ Wincing at her own floundering, she glanced at Oliver. _So far so good._

"Oh, Oliver, I didn't hear you knock." The sound of her mother's voice at that moment was nearly enough to make Gwen jump.

"He didn't have to. I knew he was there." _Well, at least I got one right._

"There you are, dear. How was flight practice?" _Oh, crap, Mrs. Wood's here, too._

"Fine, Mum. Very... bright."

"You can go upstairs, but leave the door open," Gwen's mother said.

Gwen stood there another moment, smiling nervously, before heading back to her room, Oliver in tow.

"They know something," she whispered frantically, beginning to pace.

"How do you know?" Oliver asked.

"Because they didn't say anything."

"What? That makes no sense."

"Yes, it does. If they didn't suspect anything, they would have been much nicer. Remember the pancakes?"

"Okay, so maybe they suspect something, but they don't _know_ anything," Oliver insisted.

"Yes, they know. I can tell by the way my mother looked at me."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't look so guilty."

"I can't help feeling guilty when I am. She's like a human lie detector."

"Do you regret it then? Would you rather we had waited? Do you feel like I pressured you into having sex?"

He emanated such a feeling of hurt that Gwen stopped her pacing and went to him and caressed his cheek so tenderly with such a soft look that his hard surface melted.

"Don't say such things, love," she murmured, now tracing his jaw, now running her fingers over his lips. "I didn't mean it to sound so harsh." Her left hand rested on his shoulder as her right slid to his chest. "I don't regret any time we've spent together, in bed or out. Besides," she added with a smirk, "it's not like I need to 'save myself' anymore. I won't be marrying anyone else with you in the back of my head."

His brooding mood started to wear off; his hand caressed her cheek and she held it, kissing his palm. "That would make things awkward, wouldn't it?" he laughed.

Their mothers checked on them more than once, only to find them laying quietly on the bed, Gwen's head on Oliver's chest. When they were sure they were back downstairs, the pair worked on their plans for sneaking out.


End file.
